Customer Reviews

Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker, Op.71 (excerpts)

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Every label, every orchestra, every conductor has at least one Nutcracker out there - they sell, so they pay the bills. Most of them are fine, and many are superb. This is a superb one; Ormandy with the Philadelpia Orchestra in what was originally a Columbia Masterworks release produced by Thomas Frost. I prefer this to the later RCA recording for both sound and musicianship. I like the lusher, fuller string sound and the solid unrushed approach here. However, it does contain the most rowdy version of Madam Bonbonierre I've ever heard-it's uptempo and amusing. If you want a Nutcracker recording with all the best excerpts included, well-produced and well-played, there are still many to choose from; but this one always sounds to me like there was just a little magic included, as well. It sparkles a little more than some others, and seems to have that mythic dimension of delight that the entire season is supposed to be about.

In the Waltz of the Flowers, Eugene Ormandy has the violins repeat the theme an octave higher. It was a brilliant innovation! While it wasn't in the original Tchaikovsky score, I'm certain that if Tchaikovsky had heard it, he would have heartily approved. It's a great CD to own, for that reason alone.

Great CD from an older album and version of this classic ballet and musical performance

Only a purist would have anything against this fabulous re-issue. The snowflake waltz uses trumpets instead of a children's choir. So what?! The sheer elegance and color of the Philadelphia Orchestra at its best with Ormandy conducting one of the composers he understood the most add up to an album you must have. No it isn't complete, but it is completely enjoyable, and all the best moments are here. The missing music comes primarily from the first act, which can get a little long anyway. Enjoy.