Customer Reviews

Tchaikovsky: The Sleeping Beauty, Op. 66 / Pletnev, Russian National Orchestra

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As I write this review, I listen to Pletnev's recording of Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty. Before I say anything else, I must say this set is very well done indeed. But really, which beauty is the best? The following are the main contenders:

1. Dorati on Philips
2. Gergiev on Philips
3. Mogrelia on Naxos
4. Pletnev on Deutsche Grammophon
5. Previn on EMI
6. Rozhdestvensky on the BBC label

All of them qualify as good performances, but that alone is not all that recommends a CD. The buyer must also take into account the recording quality, price/economy, and completeness of score.

As for recording quality, Gergiev, Mogrelia, and Pletnev, all have the benefit of digital sound. According to what I've heard, the others are good as well (Dorati can be a bit too brassy here and there). Nothing is over-accentuated in Pletnev's clear recording for sure. Gergiev's sound is less refined without being raw. Mogrelia's atmosphere is less precise than Pletnev's, well up to Naxos standards if a bit cloudy.

Dorati, Mogrelia, & Previn fall into the bargain category, Previn being the least expensive of all. As for packaging and economy, Mogrelia, and Gergiev have the disadvantage of being spread onto three CDs. This factor raises the price of the Naxos disc a bit, and makes the Philips set the most expensive of the lot. Rozhdestvensky costs a bit more because his recording comes from England. As for Pletnev, the present set comes at full price, but may be purchased used for significantly less. Universal has reissued this recording on their "Critics' Choice" label at mid-price, but we have yet to see if it comes to us in the USA.

But on to the music itself. Only three are entirely complete in every way: Gergiev, Mogrelia and Pletnev. Rozhdestvensky is complete other than the omission of repeats here and there (this is probably because it was performed live: not everyone wants to hear all the Sleeping Beauty at once, though I wouldn't mind). Previn and Dorati's accounts have entire numbers missing (for Dorati, the No. 18 Entr'acte; for Previn, the penultimate No. 29 Sarabande).

So where does this leave us? Pletnev wins in two of the three categories, and even the other--price--can be helped by purchasing a used copy. It is indeed worth it, for the playing of the Russian National Orchestra is magnificent. I find myself drawn into the performance even when doing something else engaging (like writing this review). Hardly the "cold, clinical sounding and clumsily-crafted westernized surrogates" that another reviewer referred to. There are no extreme tempi, unless you absolutely insist on "dance tempos" -- for me Pletnev finds the right speed in all cases, unlike Dorati who drags in the variations or Mogrelia who adopts generally slower (but rarely dragging) tempi. The Pletnev set makes its way to the top alongside Gergiev (see below).

As for the humming, I cannot for the life of me hear anything out of the ordinary. Recommended with the highest confidence.

September 2009 EDIT: I have since purchased both Mogrelia and Gergiev's recordings of the Sleeping Beauty (above has been slightly modified to reflect this). Though Mogrelia's work is only commendable, it is Gergiev's performance that I have really fallen in love with. It is equal in excellence to Pletnev. However, it spreads to three (far more expensive) disks and is given abysmally lacking cuing by Philips - 31 total tracks compared to Pletnev's 63 total tracks.

Tchaikovsky's "Sleeping Beauty" is a staple of the ballet world. It is given a great performance here by Mikhail Pletnev and his Russian National Orchestra. Perhaps even better is that the entire ballet has been put on 2 discs. The equally fine recording by Gergiev was issued on 3 discs, so you will pay less with this set.

How can one describe this performance: electrifying comes to mind. This is great playing by the Russian National and highly recommended.

I wouldn't think of buying multiple Sleeping Beauty recordings except for the ultra-cheap opportunities here at Amazon. Recently I acquired this set to compare to my pervious Dorati two-fer with the Cocertgebouw on Philips and the 3-disc set from Gergiev and the Kirov, also on Philips. How do they stack up?

Gergiev: First-rate conducting in excitable mode with an excellent orchestra but rather dull, tubby sonics. The only one on three discs at full price, unfortunately.

Dorati: A sprightly, often dramatic reading--but with lapses--and a world-class orchestra in bright analog sound (oddly, the recording sessions went from 1979 to 1981). A budget Duo.

Pletnev: An excellent orchestra led by a so-so conductor in a polished, somewht uneventful reading, in the best sound of all, from 1997. Pletnev's urbane approach is reminiscent of Ozawa and Dutoit, two other precise conductors who rarely catch fire. Two mid-priced CDs or part of a super-budget box set with Ozawa's underwhelming Nutrcracker and Swan Lake.

Musically, unless you value cautious sophistication, Pletnev's reading often feels too cool and smoothed over, but DG's warm, natural sound is very involving. Dorati brings us into the theater and keeps the proceedings eventful over the long stretch of this ballet. Gergiev is the only one who pushes the music into non-balletic territroy with a strong symphonic emphasis, but the merely serviceable sound is a let down, not to mention the high price.

I was surprised, not being a particular fan of Dorati's, that I become more involved in his performance than the other three. But each set has its points, and none is an outright clear winner. I only wish Decca would re-issue the classic Ansermet set, which I remember from LP as the best of all--but that was a long time ago, so who knows?

Mikhail Pletnev may rightfully be considered one of the keyboard giants of our time. However, attempting a career as a conductor, his recordings with his Russian National Orchestra have proven highly controversial. According to some, Pletnev's approach is a thought-through attempt to give the Russian late romantics a more classical face by avoiding all excesses in sound and delivery that we came to associate with this music through the recordings of among others Mravinsky and Svetlanov. To others, his discs represent nothing but cold, clinical sounding and clumsily-crafted westernized surrogates, stripping the Russian scores of all their idiomatic passion and soul.

Listening to Pletnev's complete recording of Tchaikovsky's magisterial second ballet "The Sleeping Beauty", I tend to agree with the latter. If there is anything which distinguishes this release it must be the conductor's unemotional, pokerfaced approach. In Pletnev's "Beauty" there is hardly any place for theatricality and drama. Everything is nice, polished, clean, but perfectly bloodless and boring. Pletnev's stab at individuality consists mainly in unbalancing the score by introducing here and there some unexpected yet awkward tempi and tempo changes. In doing so he fails most of the dances, which rank here among the most unimaginative ever put to disc (nr. 12 of Act II; nr. 23, 25, 28 of Act III), while the lapses of tension in the dramatic passages are far too frequent to bear repeated listening (Final of the Prologue; Act II). We know this recording is not meant to accompany dancers on a stage, but other conductors have proven that Tchaikovsky's pure dance music remains fascinating in every bar.

The orchestral playing is generally commendable, with fair contributions from solo violin and cello (Why are none of the soloists of the orchestra credited?) The 4-D recording from 1997 provides crisp and vivid, if not especially dynamic sound. Tutti sound rather flat, but fit perfectly in Pletnev's deadpan approach. The strings are balanced forward and with the 1st and 2nd violins divided left and right, it often seems as if the brass section is on leave. I also never thought of the Apotheose as a piano concerto. All in all, a disappointing issue and no competition for Antal Dorati and Evgeni Svetlanov.

This review expresses what I would like to say about this recording and incidentally comes from a highly respected source:

"... That Pletnev knows and loves this score was already obvious from his own piano arrangements of parts of it, and their recordings ... . And if ever proof was needed of the pianist's ability to transfer completely intact to the orchestra his own special brand of fantasy and superfine articulacy, this is it. Hardly a minute passes without one's ear being enchanted by an affective gesture of the utmost precision, poise and sensitivity (all the various solos are superbly done)... .
If you need convincing, try the last ten minutes of Act 2 - a symphonic impression of the 100-year sleep, owing not a little to Wagner in its methods and to something of the magical workings of Tchaikovsky's own sea music for The Tempest - and ask yourself if you have ever heard it as atmospherically shaded; the subtle glints of Tchaikovsky's wonderful orchestration as well caught; or the transition from static contemplation, through the kiss, to genuinely joyful activity, as well-gauged. A very special combination of all the right choices made as regards dynamics, tempo and differentiation of mood and, like so much else in this performance, a scene whose potential I cannot recall having been as fully realized as it is here.
... The DG sound for Pletnev is as vibrant as you could wish, with deeper perspectives and a superbly managed ambience, with the magical scenes bathed in the appropriate enchanted halo, yet the textures kept clear in the active, louder sections of the score."

-Johnathan Swain, Gramophone Magazine (January 1999)

The Sleeping Beauty is no doubt unquestionably the greatest ballet ever composed. Tchaikovsky's music is uplifting, its dynamic, its beautiful and its full of fire. The music creates a tapestry of emotions and color and brings a new meaning to the word ballet. The choreographer Petipa made the dancing into legend the Rose Adagio, the Pas de diex are all very enchanting. And the Entree and Apotheose are excellent. The Apotheose is a grand bit of music and concludes the ballet with a touch of glory. The Finale to Acts 1 and 2 are brilliant and the famous waltz Dysney put to words in the animated film are all here. The Panorama is another romantic piece. There are so many romantic pieces and a flow of beauty and charm and frolic. It is far more than a simple fairy tale made into ballet. And as for that Lilac Fairy theme and Carabosse's theme it is all magnificent and splendid. I hope u enjoy this cd although superior to Pletnev is the Phillips label with Dorati conducting the Royal Concergebeow although this would qualify as the second best. Enjoy

Mostly well done, if a little too pared-down for my tastes. Other recordings have captured a more "lush" quality in the piece. If a quintessential Romantic-era work doesn't beg to be embellished, I don't know what would.

By far the most aggrivating (and damning) aspect of this recording is a low, mysterious humming that follows the punctuation of the orchestra, clearly not produced by an instrument, and especially bad on "No. 4 Final. Andantino." Casual listeners may not notice or care, but I find it intolerable. I suspect it is either a player or the conductor himself, unaware of their dubious contribution.

I find it hard to believe that the engineers working on a major label, professional quality work wouldn't notice this fatal flaw. Whatever the case, it is unacceptable and in the end renders this recording admirably intentioned but poorly executed.

Pletnev's complete Sleeping Beauty has been praised to the heavens, or close, by virtually all the professionals I've read. It has been highly recommended in both the Penguin and Gramophone guides. Only the esteemed David Hurwitz doesn't like it very much, and it's him I agree with. The polish is there, yes, and the playing is certainly decent, even professional, but it doesn't have the extra "oomph" of a truly great performance. I was never transported to another plane while listening to it, it was just a slew of clean-cut notes that sounded good, and the whole thing kept me at a distance. Other Pletnev recordings have also been praised, so he is apparently a top conductor, but to me he sounds pedestrian, at least in this Sleeping Beauty. His performance lacks any real drama, and there is no momentum, no sense of pacing, even though the tempi are, for the most part, quick. This recording was a chore to plow through, and I found myself glancing at the track numbers and times, which is a no-no for anything but especially for Tchaikovsky's greatest ballet. And it certainly isn't the ballet itself that's the problem. After Pletnev's account, I went on to listen to Rozhdestvensky's reading with the BBC Orchestra, and it was like night and day. Listening to that one, I could close my eyes and bask in the music. Time flew by and my emotions were touched. Those two recordings are commonly held up as the two best Sleeping Beautys available. If you ask me, though, Rozhdestvensky's is the only great Sleeping Beauty out there. Don't listen to the hype on this one. The overall user rating here is a lot more telling.

This recording has been praised to the high heavens in the UK -- Gramophone Mag, Penguin Guide etc.

It's just been reissued in Universal Classics' "Rosette Collection" (based on its Penguin Guide Rossette recommendation), so the other day I picked it up for a tenner to see what all the fuss was about.

My first impression: IT'S FAST. Of course having the whole ballet squeezed onto just 2 CDs it would have to be. Some numbers work quite well at Pletnev's pace, but at times it all just becomes a bit relentless. And I can say as a regular ballet-goer, this simply bears no resemblance to what you would hear in an actual ballet performance. Fair enough if you view it as a concert performance of this most lustrous of Tchaikovsky's scores (I guess)..

The recording itself is a hugely CONTRIVED affair. The strings (clearly not the weightiest of string bodies) are given a forward balance compared to the rest of the orchestra, and while it's good to hear the 1st and 2nd violins split left & right, that only reinforces the GIMMICKY quality of the recording (especially listened to on headphones). The cellos are unneccesarily spotlit at times, but they do play gorgeously (as does the whole orchestra throughout). It's not a very atmospheric sound overall (compared to say, the sumptuous sound Decca achieved in the Kingsway Hall in the 70s for Bonynge's ballet recordings). The individual instruments within the orchestra are often startlingly clear, almost like you're listening to a really good chamber orchestra -- for me not an appropriate soundworld for a Tchaikovsky ballet. I must say, however, the harp is beautifully balanced within the orchestra (not too forward as is often the case).


Pletnev avoids milking the most spectacular moments, and in the process throws out the baby with the bathwater: the delectable Act 1 Waltz, the Rose Adagio and even the Panorama all fail to catch the magic of the music and frankly, without magic there isn't much point in playing, recording, or listening to The Sleeping Beauty.

In a word: DISAPPOINTING.

I cannot stand this recording! And I've tried so hard to like it ever since I purchased it over a year ago. As others have mentioned, it's a cold, hard-heartened, unemotional and uninvolving interpretation from Pletnev, and it is, frankly, boring. The best thing about it is the Arthur Rackham art-work used on the CD cover and inner booklet.

As someone mentioned below, of especial annoyance, even if I had liked the performance, is the extraordinarily irritating 'humming' by Pletnev as he directs the orchestra. Perhaps if the performance was better it would not have been such an issue but it's really quite unbearable.