Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake

Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky (Composer), Seiji Ozawa (Conductor), Boston Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Orchestra: Boston Symphony Orchestra
• Conductor: Seiji Ozawa
• Composer: Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky
• Audio CD (September 16, 1997)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Deutsche Grammophon
• ASIN: B000001GYA
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #39,424 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #27 in Music > Classical > Historical Periods > Romantic (c.1820-1910) > General
  • #38 in Music > Classical > Historical Periods > Romantic (c.1820-1910) > General AAS

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Average Recording - Beautiful Performance, March 16, 2000

By 

Rick (Colorado) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake (Audio CD)

The other reviewer is right - this is not a really great technical recording. Typical 1970's Deutsche Grammophon 24 track sea of mud. But, if you listen past the recording, this is the most expressive, best paced, Swan Lake available. I have heard and own many different versions on CD and LP. Indeed, when I bought my first CD player in 1985 (when the first affordable ones became available) I began a personal 12 year search for the Ozawa / BSO version of Swan Lake. This was simply beacuse I loved my three-LP copy of it so much. When DG finally released it in 1997 I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it sitting in the bins. If you want to hear the prettiest version of Swan Lake available, buy this disk.

24 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Okay performance-bad recording!, September 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake (Audio CD)

Swan Lake is one of the best works from Tchaikovsky. Frankly, this piece deserves more grandeur than what the Boston Symphony Orchestra gives it. The sound quality muffles the entire brass section, especially the low brass (even though the Boston Symphony low brass section is nothing to brag about anyway). You can tell what Ozawa is trying to do with this piece, but it does not work out as an outstanding performance. However, the string section is superb! It is an overall decent performance, but the recording quality almost makes a joke out of this magnificent work.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars MISSING BARS FROM FIRST CD ISSUE RESTORED HERE!, September 14, 2004

By 

Bertram christmas "bert" (Boston ,MA.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake (Audio CD)

If you stumble upon the original DG CD issue (415367-2), it will be slightly edited. About four minutes of repeated and previously herad bars will be absent. Back in the 1980's when first issued on CD, the technologhy was just not there to present the performance entirely complete on 2 CD's, as heard on its original 3 LP issue (DG 2709 099). This re-issue (DG 453055-2) has restored all the missing bars. This remains the most exciting complete "Swan Lake" out there. The only complete "Swan Lakes" which are more exciting than this, are the live Ozawa/Boston performances, dating just a week or two before this recording was made by DG; and those live performances are locked in The Boston Symphony Orchestra archives!!

Update: I just noticed (quite some time later) that the pamphlet which comes with this re-issued 453055-2 edition did not get an exactly perfect revision. The restored bars are all on CD # 2, tracks 7, 19, and 20 respectively. The longer playing timings have been updated, but DG missed a couple of details on the text portion. Each number of the score is described in detail, track by track. In the original 415367-2 CD booklet, it is notated in small print after tracks 7, 19, 20 on CD # 2, "abridged." In the 453055-2 booklet, it still says "abridged" in the same areas of the text, although they are now thoroughly complete and restored. Most likely someone didn't proof read thoroughly.