Customer Reviews

Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

You can keep all your Swan Lakes by the top Western orchestras; generally they are concentrating on maintaining the 'name' of the orchestra and conductor by concentrating on a refined sound to the performance. But although we rarely hear it, the Russians put great emphasis on 'soul', in other words on the music itself, (i.e., the music is more important than the performers) and much Russian music benefits from a slightly different approach than many other well-known composers that hail from other places.

The Russian State Symphony may not quite match the world's very top orchestras for a highly polished technique, but they are still an excellent ensemble, for which no apologies are needed. Combined with a Russian conductor who not only knows the printed notes on the page, but understands the music they are trying to convey, and you have a Swan Lake unmatched by any other modern recording, a Swan Lake that Tchaikovsky was thinking of.

I have the SACD release of this performance where the sound is up with the highest examples of the recording art, so I expect the CD to have excellent sound too, it would have come from the same DSD masters. Another reviewer has pointed out that the performance is slightly faster than many recordings. I would reply that it sounds as if the conductor has conducted this for ballet performances and knows you can't leave a dancer suspended in mid-air while you dwell lovingly over a particularly beautiful passage. This is also a dancer's performance.

The orchestra responds with a wonderful interpretation. There are some exquisite solos in the quieter sections (listen for sections where melodies dance from one woodwind to another, each brief solo beautifully executed). And, in contrast, the full orchestra brings out the strengths of the composer, playing with excellent ensemble, and producing that slightly different, authentic Russian sound. Then at the very end, wait to hear the trumpet soar triumphantly over the entire orchestra in the most wonderful finale you will ever hear.

For years I have been waiting for a Swan Lake like this, and I was ecstatic when I found it. In addition to the qualities mentioned (and I could extol the virtues of this performance in much greater detail), as another reviewer points out, you are getting the complete work (rare, it almost invariably, like many ballets and operas, suffers from cuts that can vary from a couple of bars to an entire sequence) and the sections are all presented in the original sequence, again, a rarity.

For me, from performances recorded in the last, say, 20 years, this is the only one to consider, and it is provided at a good price. Don't go looking for the cheapest recording you can find (unless budget makes this necessary). And don't go looking for a performance from the most famous orchestra you can find. I would venture that no American orchestra, and I'll add in the British orchestras, as good as so many are, would have a chance of matching the beautiful and exciting authenticity of this recording. Look no further.

PS. This review is full of superlatives and no criticisms: it's because I can find nothing to fault because the overall result is so close to perfection. You will wait a long time for a better total performance. My highest recommendation.

This is a marvelous recording. I prefer to hear complete recording of works such as ballets and operas, and the two CDs in this recording provide a wonderful experience. There are some recordings of Swan Lake that omit certain numbers and rearrange the order of others. This recording contains everything Tchaikovsky wrote and in the order it appears in his score. Dmitry Yablonsky and the Russian State Symphony Orchestra obviously know this score well, and have a deep affection for the music. The solos are played with great feeling and the orchestra creates a beautifully atmospheric experience. There may be recordings that are better recorded by the sound is very good and at the price Naxos charges, this is a bargain that one should not pass by.

I was cruising through bargain sets of Swan Lake, and although this one on Naxos isn't near the top (espeially at the new high price) it's robust and authentic, thoroughly in the Russian manner, which never veers toward over-refinement. Yablonsky's tempos are fast to the point of briskness -- he cuts half a minute off many of the shorter numbers and a full minute off the Act 1 Valse compared to almost everyone else. The russian State Sym. is good but definitely not of the highest caliber, yet the playing comes across as enthusiastic. Now that there are bargain issues from Sawallisch and the Philadelphia Orch. (EMI) and Ozawa with the BSO (DG), you can get truly elegant playing that far surpasses this performance; on the other hand you won't get as much rough vitalaity.

My only reservation about this performance is the rather thin sound of the violins in the high register.However,the playing here is otherwise uniformly fine;ensemble,intonation, and interpretation are all right on target and this group perform with great passion.The solo playing and performance of the woodwinds is especially rewarding.The recorded sound is also very good.At such a low price this deserves the highest rating.

I bought this CD as a gift to a young friend, hoping to increase her appreciation for classical music. I could not have made a better purchase. It is a wonderful performance of one of the great works. I think when God gave us classical music he had Tchaikovsky in mind.

I am not a musician but I love classical music. I judge music by its beauty. This recording makes my heart sing. Gorgeous performance, complete, in the correct order, just like Pyotr Il'yich intended it to be. It's played by a Russian orchestra, which makes a lot of sense, considering it is Tchaikovsky. Who, if not Russians, will express the authentic sound and spirit of his music! If you can appreciate a special recording, buy this Swan Lake. If you are looking for something more typical and mediocre, buy something else.

I have seen Swan Lake many times, but I must admit that I've only seen it performed by American Ballet Theatre. I have the VHS tape with Natalia Makarova & Ivan Nagy and the DVD with Gillian Murphy & Angel Corella (& Marcelo Gomes as an amazing Rothbart!). The new DVD has a few differences from the older VHS, including a prologue and a solo for Rothbart set to the Russian dance, but basically it's the Swan Lake I know & love. I started out with disc 2 because I love act 3, but the Black Swan I'm familiar with (I also have the pas de deux on some other DVD's as well) was missing. Instead there was the music that George Balanchine used for the New York City Ballet's Tchaikovsky Pas De Deux in its place. And the act doesn't end with the Black Swan & Seigfried's pledge to marry Odile. They sit & watch the ethnic dances first! Absolutely mind-boggling!

Later, when I listened to the first act, I heard 3/4 of the black swan (the female variation was changed). I was flabbergasted! I absolutely cannot imagine how this ballet was staged. According to the booklet, this is a pas de deux for a couple of the guests. Why, in heaven's name? It doesn't belong there at all.

The music is lovely, and I did discover some new melodies, but because it has played havoc with my familiar Swan Lake, I've only given it three stars.