Tchaikovsky: Ballet Suites

Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky (Composer), Mstislav Rostropovich (Conductor), Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Orchestra: Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
• Conductor: Mstislav Rostropovich
• Composer: Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky
• Audio CD (March 11, 1997)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Deutsche Grammophon
• ASIN: B000001GX7
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #56,359 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #30 in Music > Classical > Historical Periods > Romantic (c.1820-1910) > General
  • #52 in Music > Classical > Historical Periods > Romantic (c.1820-1910) > General AAS

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Tchaikovsky disc, October 23, 2003

By 

Marc Haegeman "Marc Haegeman" (Gent, Belgium) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tchaikovsky: Ballet Suites (Audio CD)

Outstanding versions of Tchaikovsky's three popular ballet suites. The Berlin Philharmonic is in glowing form and Mstislav Rostropovich on the rostrum sounds inspired as none else. Warmly and dynamically recorded, with plenty of orchestral detail, this thrilling disc may stand as a criterion from the analogue era.
If you only need the suites, or if you think this music no longer holds any surprises for you, this is the CD to go for. Highly recommended.

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Out of balance dynamics - not recommended, May 14, 2006

By 

Frank Oosterom "Frank Oosterom" (Netherlands) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tchaikovsky: Ballet Suites (Audio CD)

Through recommendations from several guides on classical music, I got to listen to this record, and of course the music itself is glorious, truely delightful and all of that. As long as you stay focused on the slow parts, you have no trouble appreciating this record. The problem starts when the more vigorous parts set in. Then it is revealed that the nice moderato slows are combined with much too fastly played quick tempi. The same can be said about the 3 last symphonies by the same composer, conducted by Karajan in the Double Decca version.

I didn't expect this to happen with Rostropovich here, because of the good reviews, but also because of his Russian roots. I would have thought he was well able to convey the true Russian feeling in this work. Sadly enough, it really just is a very bad-balanced piece of playing, which is not to be accounted on the BPO, but as Haitink once said: "There are no bad orchestras, just bad conductors."

I'm afraid this here is the case with this recording. Rostropovich is likely to be better off with Cello concertos (playing or conducting - for a fine example check out his first recording with Korean prodigy Han-Na Chang).

For a better choice of Tsjaikovsky's masterpieces, I'd go for Previn and the LSO (EMI) or Karajan and the VPO (in his younger years on Decca). You'd be much more satisfied.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Viva Tschaikowsky, May 2, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Tchaikovsky: Ballet Suites (Audio CD)

These excerpts of Mstislav Rostropovich's recordings of 3 of Tschaikowsky's most familiar ballets were recorded a short time after he emigrated to the West. The digitally remastered recording lends a crispness that might have taken away some warmth, but nonetheless still conveys the broad range of emotions felt with a Tschaikowsky ballet. The Berliner Phil recording sweeps one from pensiveness to lightness to excitement to a furious crescendo and finally bringing one back to ground with the soothing Flower Waltz. Highly recommended.