Andr� Previn - Tchaikovsky: The Ballets (Swan Lake, Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty)(6CD) Tchaikovsky's three sumptuous ballet scores are also three of his supreme masterpieces, as remarkable for their emotional content as for the beauty of their melodies and orchestration. Andr� Previn, who has described himself as "a complete romantic", became Principal Conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra in 1968. He remained in the role for 11 years - something of a golden era - and in 2016 was named the LSO's Conductor Emeritus.

ROMEO & JULIET OPP.64A & B

Karen Kain and Frank Augystyn are the featured dancers with the National Ballet of Canada in Adam's reknown ballet.

BALANCHINE: NEW YORK CITY BALLET IN MONTREAL 4

Rudolph Nureyev and Veronica Tennant are the feature dancers with the National Ballet of Canada in Tchaikovsky's immortal ballet.

Prokofiev's great ballet features Margot Fonteyn, Michael Somes, Frederick Ashton, Kenneth MacMillian, Sadler's Wells Ballet (Royal Ballet). Choreography by Frederick Ashton. Conducted by Robert Irving from a TV Broadcast of April 29, 1957.

Rounding out this trio of November releases is the famed 1977 Grigorovich setting of Spartacus starring Vladimir Vasiliev as the heroic slave who leads the unsuccessful revolt against the Romans. Again, from the New York Times chief dance critic.

Larisa Tuisova and Alexander Rumiantsev star in the Latvian State Opera & Ballet Theatre production of the Khachaturian ballet. Bonus: Gayne: Act 4 (Timofeeva, Zhdanov), Spartacus:"Adagio" from Act 2. (Liepa, Plisetskaya), Gayne: "Adagio".

Margot Fonteyn, Michael Somes, Frederick Ashton, Beryl Grey; Sadler's Wells Ballet (Royal Ballet). Choreography by Petipa. Music by Tchaikovsky. Conducted by Robert Irving from a TV Broadcast of December 14, 1955. Black & white.

Two of the most important dancers of the 20th Century, featured here in this compilation of TV performances.

Vladimir Vasiliev, Ekaterina Maximova, Maris Liepa, Nina Timofeyeva perform in this live 1970 Bolshoi Theatre production of the Khachaturian ballet conducted by Algis Zhuraitis and choreographed by Yuri Grigorovich. B&W, mono.

BALANCHINE: NEW YORK CITY BALLET IN MONTREAL 1

Green color label coating. Features the high-fidelity UHQCD format. *UHQCD (Ultimate High Quality CD) is an upgraded version of HQCD, a high fidelity CD format developed by Memory-Tech. Decca. 2025.

Everything Classics Vol. 4: Decca Edition - Green Label Series (Japan Import) A special installment in the acclaimed Everything Classics campaign, this Vol. 4 Decca Edition features iconic recordings from the Decca catalog presented with a distinctive green color label coating, echoing the legacy of classic LP designs. Each title in this collection is pressed in Japan using the UHQCD (Ultimate High Quality CD) format-an advanced, audiophile-grade disc format developed by Memory-Tech. UHQCD offers superior sound reproduction and compatibility with all standard CD players, delivering enhanced clarity, detail, and depth without requiring any special equipment. Experience timeless performances with elevated fidelity in this premium reissue campaign.

Green color label coating. Features the high-fidelity UHQCD format. *UHQCD (Ultimate High Quality CD) is an upgraded version of HQCD, a high fidelity CD format developed by Memory-Tech. Decca. 2025.

Much heralded as the auspicious beginning of a new--and now defunct--recording contract with RCA, Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony's Romeo & Juliet remains a stunningly good Prokofiev disc. This particular arrangement (compiled by the conductor) follows the sequence of the ballet, providing more narrative continuity than Prokofiev's three suites. Thomas' vibrant and insightful conducting, employing some highly effective and idiosyncratic rubato in many passages, powerfully enhances the drama's ebb and flow. The Balcony scene fairly flows with passion, while light and breezy pacing enlivens the Folk Dance and the Young Juliet. The intense drive of Romeo's Revenge (augmented by bass drum and tambourine at the climax) also rivets the attention.


Underlying all of this is the exceptionally high-caliber playing of the San Francisco Symphony, with its bracing energy, virtuosity, and rhythmic vitality. RCA's warmly spacious, wide-dynamic recording makes a powerful impression (even if it cannot match Telarc's recent SACD version for spatial realism). Considering that Thomas' arrangement contains virtually all the main thematic material from the ballet (minus Prokofiev's many repetitions), for many listeners this hugely enjoyable (and now mid-price) disc will be the one Romeo & Juliet to have and hold. [6/10/2004]
--Victor Carr Jr, ClassicsToday.com

Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet (Complete)

The Firebird is a ballet and orchestral concert work by the Russian composer Igor Stravinsky. It was written for the 1910 Paris season of Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes company based on the Russian fairy tales of the Firebird and the blessing and curse it possesses for it's owner. The Firebird's mortal and supernatural elements are distinguished with a system of leitmotifs placed in the harmony dubbed "leit-harmony". Stravinsky intentionally used many specialist techniques in the orchestra, including ponticello, col legno, flautando, glissando, and flutter-tonguing. Set in the evil immortal Koschei's castle, the ballet follows Prince Ivan, who battles Koschei with the help of the magical Firebird. Recorded in 1961 by The Columbia Symphony Orchestra. This version in limited pressed on Solid Orange vinyl.

Much heralded as the auspicious beginning of a new--and now defunct--recording contract with RCA, Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony's Romeo & Juliet remains a stunningly good Prokofiev disc. This particular arrangement (compiled by the conductor) follows the sequence of the ballet, providing more narrative continuity than Prokofiev's three suites. Thomas' vibrant and insightful conducting, employing some highly effective and idiosyncratic rubato in many passages, powerfully enhances the drama's ebb and flow. The Balcony scene fairly flows with passion, while light and breezy pacing enlivens the Folk Dance and the Young Juliet. The intense drive of Romeo's Revenge (augmented by bass drum and tambourine at the climax) also rivets the attention.

Underlying all of this is the exceptionally high-caliber playing of the San Francisco Symphony, with its bracing energy, virtuosity, and rhythmic vitality. RCA's warmly spacious, wide-dynamic recording makes a powerful impression (even if it cannot match Telarc's recent SACD version for spatial realism). Considering that Thomas' arrangement contains virtually all the main thematic material from the ballet (minus Prokofiev's many repetitions), for many listeners this hugely enjoyable disc will be the one Romeo & Juliet to have and hold. [6/10/2004]

--Victor Carr Jr, ClassicsToday.com

Saariaho: Maa (Earth)

Classical Music

Choreography and stage direction by Pina Bausch.

Dancers: Yann Bridard (Orpheus), Marie-Agnes Gillot (Eurydike), Miteki Kudo (Amor), Ballet de l'Opera national de Paris.

Duration: 104 minutes
Image: 16:9 NTSC
Sound: PCM Stereo, Dolby digital 5.1
Subtitles: French, German, English, Spanish, Italian
Region: All

This is in a class by itself: it is the late choreographer Pina Bausch's vision of Gluck's Orfeo, originally produced in Germany in 1975. This performance took place at Paris' Palais Garnier in February, 2008. Bausch presents two sets of protagonists--for each solo singing part there is a solo dancer--with the dancing, of course, taking physical precedence, but with the singers thoroughly engaged as well. You might think this awkward on stage but it is not; like any great choreographer, Bausch knows her space, and furthermore has choreographed minimal movements for the singers to emotionally mirror the dancers'. Just so you know, Bausch eschews Gluck's happy ending: both main characters remain dead at this performance's close.

I could describe the entire performance--so rich, so fluid, so moving--but the opening scene will suffice. As the dancing Orfeo, the magnificent, muscled Yann Bridard enters on the right, dressed only in flesh-colored briefs, and stands perfectly still while mezzo Maria Riccarda Wesseling, the singing Orfeo, cries out Eurydice's name (forgive me for not using the German spelling despite the fact that the opera is sung in German); a dead tree is the only prop.

Stage left is Eurydice herself, silent (the dancer Marie-Agnes Gillot), sitting high above the stage floor in her white, shroud-like wedding dress which reaches to the floor, a bouquet of blood-red roses cradled in her arms. She looks down at the grief around her; black-clad women and men writhe with anguish, their hands imploring and twisting. Orfeo lies face down near the tree and as the mourners leave slowly, he begins a tortured solo, clearly begging the gods' assistance. Bausch's choreography throughout is filled with swaying and upper-body movement; the feet never fidget. After a brief while the singing and dancing seem inevitably intertwined, as if the opera were always performed this way. Much of it gives the impression of a dream.

Hell is watched over by three men in leather aprons; they return after Eurydice dies a second time to take Orfeo. A remarkable moment occurs at the opera's peak moment: Eurydice, now in bright red, has been dancing madly, trying to get Orfeo to look back at her. He does and she dies in his arms as the singing Eurydice falls to the ground. Dancing Orfeo picks her up and places her atop the dancing Eurydice, and singing Orfeo kneels and sings the opera's most famous aria, "Che faro senza Eurydice". The effect is ravishing.

The costumes, sets, and lighting by Rolf Borzik, as suggested above, are evocative yet unfussy. The Balthasar-Neumann Ensemble & Choir play and sing handsomely throughout, with the chorus placed in the pit behind the musicians. Thomas Hengelbrock leads sensitively, whipping up a storm for the Furies and serving the needs of both singers and dancers. Mezzo Wesseling's Orfeo is strongly and movingly sung; hers may not be the greatest voice or interpretation, but she fits this production. However, Bridard's dancing of the part is unmatchable--he's on stage throughout and he seems thoroughly transfixed, expressing every emotion wordlessly and with grace and power. Julia Kleiter's Eurydice is lovely, a perfect match for the glorious Marie-Agnes Gillot. And Sunhae Im's shining Amore matches Miteko Kudo's dancing of the part.

As mentioned, the opera is sung in German, which I guess we will simply have to forgive. Subtitles are in all major European languages; the High Definition picture is superb and the sound (PCM Stereo or Dolby Digital 5.1) matches it. There is some strong DVD competition, but this really is one of a kind.

--Robert Levine, ClassicsToday.com

Polish Heart (The)

Gerard Schwarz starts Daphnis et Chloé in a very slow tempo that suggests a funeral procession, but then takes the following Danse religieuse surprisingly quickly. Such extremes of tempo—he runs the concluding Bacchanale at such a blazing pace that you can hardly imagine ballet dancers being able to keep up—tends to draw attention more to the conductor than to the music. Still, Schwarz manages to conjure the enchanted atmosphere of the piece (especially in the more exotic passages) with great help from the Seattle Symphony, which plays marvelously—particularly the strings with their beguilingly silken tone.

Schwarz emphasizes the score’s refined textures, making the piece sound more like the 20th-century work that it is, rather than a backward glance at Rimsky-Korsakov (as others, mostly notably Gergiev, do). The recorded sound is splendid, easily capturing fine details in the wide dynamic range (even if the wind machine is less than ideally audible).

Following Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé with Hovhaness’ similarly Greek-themed Meditation on Orpheus is a clever bit of programming. It’s a beautiful and mesmerizing work that mixes the meditative and the rhapsodic in that quintessentially Hovhanessian manner. Schwarz and his orchestra offer a brilliantly realized and impeccably played performance. Not a disc to replace Munch or Boulez, but still a fine choice.

– Victor Carr Jr, ClassicsToday.com

Classical Music