Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker (Complete); The Sleeping Beauty (Highlights)

Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky (Composer), Anatole Fistoulari (Conductor), Antal Dorati (Conductor), London Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra), Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Orchestra: London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
• Conductor: Anatole Fistoulari, Antal Dorati
• Composer: Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky
• Audio CD (October 11, 1994)
• SPARS Code: ADD
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Philips
• ASIN: B0000041A8
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #24,066 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #20 in Music > Classical > Historical Periods > Romantic (c.1820-1910) > General
  • #28 in Music > Classical > Historical Periods > Romantic (c.1820-1910) > General AAS
  • #88 in Music > Classical > Opera & Vocal > Vocal Non-Opera > Noels

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars so HOT, it set my speakers on fire..., December 7, 2004

By 

Andrew Mayzak "audiophile" (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker (Complete); The Sleeping Beauty (Highlights) (Audio CD)

I bought this CD from over 30 different choices because of the Philips label; their digital remastering of old stereo recordings is first rate and I expected no less from this recording. Having never heard of the orchestra or the conductor, I was reluctant and unsure of what to expect. Little did I know what legends were performing here! That said...

WHAT A SHOCK!!! I have NEVER heard an orchestra play with such gusto, spark, and verve... I own dozens of classical recordings, but this one is, by far, the most dynamic and passionate. The Nutcracker's overplayed music is freshened by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra with youthful, razor-sharp accuracy, bringing out undercurrents in the score that I never noticed before, even in a live performances. It is wonderfully overwhelming to hear a live orchestra play with mechanized MIDI precision and still find room for an enormous amount of expression.

Antal Dorati's conducting is legendary, to say the least. The orchestra seems to have a spinning sound, with different instruments flying wildly out from a very tight epicenter. The orchestra gets so carried away that at times I worried there would be a musical train wreck, but Dorati holds the reins tightly and the frighteningly fast tempos work, providing a white-knuckle ride. His conducting is reminiscent of Herbert Von Karajan and Leonard Bernstein, though without the erratic speed changes and unnecessary theatrics. He brings out the best in the orchestra time and again, especially in the battle with the Mouse King, the Trepak, and the Pas de Deux.

The result is one of the most exquisitely tight, compact, and lustrous sounds I've ever heard. The recording quality is first rate; no static, hiss, crackles, or splats. The uncanny sparkle in the music makes it sound almost digitally recorded while the dynamic breadth allows for rumbling low notes and shattering high notes. Even Telarc and EMI can't match the crisp clarity of the sound. I had to bust many of my pervious reviews down to 3 or 4 stars because this CD set a new standard for me. Money VERY well spent!

(And if you want The Sleeping Beauty, buy the complete recording by Dorati with the Concertgebouw Orchestra... Fistoulari is good and the recording will put most others to shame, but the LSO is simply not as alive as the Concertgebouw.)

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dorati's Subtle nutcracker, August 23, 2008

By 

S. C. Stephenson (Western mass. U.S.A.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker (Complete); The Sleeping Beauty (Highlights) (Audio CD)

There are many interpretations of the nutcracker. All of them are wonderful to listen to. I like this version from Antal Dorati and the concertgebouw orchestra with it's gentle flowing nature, like the ticking of a timepiece, with visions of a wintery landscape. To hear this done in this manner is like a tone poem of gentle sounds with ones own introspective images coming together so nicely.Dorati and Concertgeboew do it just right here.

3.0 out of 5 stars Off to the races..., February 7, 2011

By 

Leah - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker (Complete); The Sleeping Beauty (Highlights) (Audio CD)

I wonder at times while listening to this how the musicians could possibly keep up. Everything is VERY, VERY fast. Miraculously, despite the phenomenal speed, it all sounded technically correct... so kudos to the orchestra for keeping up.