Amazon.co.uk allows you to pay for your items in your local currency. Restrictions apply. Learn More. |
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
Listen to Samples and Buy MP3s
Songs from this album are available to purchase as MP3s. Click on "Buy MP3" or
view the MP3 Album.
|
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
37 of 39 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Firstly the strengths ....the recorded sound is excellent and the music is played with energy, brilliance and musicality. But there's no way that you could dance to this...unless you're a whirling dervish...yet Tchaikovsky composed/fashioned the music with that in mind. I had heard a couple of excerpts from the disc before I went ahead and bought it and I'd hoped the faster tempi wouldn't matter ...but it does... the score is whizzed-through like a shot out of a gun. I can imagine all the whittling-down, second by second that must've gone on behind the scenes in the recording studio, to get the ballet squashed onto one disc. There's hardly a pause in the relentless progress of the music from one track to the next & from the beginning to the end of the disc....and this affects the 'integrity' of the music as a result. 'Pauses' matter.
If you're new to this music & haven't seen the music danced-to, then maybe this all won't matter so much but if you've been touched by Tchaikovsky's magical score where there was time to reflect and enjoy the unfolding pagaent of melody within a dance scenario, then my recommendation is to buy a different interpretation.
If you're new to this music & haven't seen the music danced-to, then maybe this all won't matter so much but if you've been touched by Tchaikovsky's magical score where there was time to reflect and enjoy the unfolding pagaent of melody within a dance scenario, then my recommendation is to buy a different interpretation.
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Of all the recordings by Gergiev I own, I feel more than ready to consider this among his more pleasing efforts. Gergiev brings a new perspective to this well-worn Tchaiokvsy chestnut, such that it is given a more robust performance than typically given during the myriad of Christmas ballet productions. From the lightness of the overture to the weighty grandeur of the finale, Gergiev ably fleshes out the contrasting moods in the score. Adopting generally brisk speeds, he adopts continuity yet still churns out a magical performance for one to revel in the many felicities of the score. Now, these brisk seeds are not as rushed as many people might think, but they really make the ballet lilt and trip along without sounding clunky like most other recordings of the work. The dramatic mood is suitably conveyed in the transformation scene, and the many famous dances in the Suite are given crisp, robust readings. The two Pas de deux scenes and the various Waltzes convey a stately grandeur, especially during the Waltz of the Flowers. Yet there is also a delicacy in the Sugarplum Fairy's Dance, the Arabian Dance and the Dance of the Reed Pipes. Throughout Gergiev elicits a robust sound from the Kirov Orchestra, with a fine balance between the sections, except perhaps for the wobbly Russian brass. The Philips recording is superb, one of their best recent recordings, sumptuous yet clean and well-detailed. An added bonus is the fact that this Nutcracker only takes up one CD rather than two. Highly highly recommended, especially since this fresh and robust rendition seems destined to put other Nutcrackers to shame. Don't let the bad reviews discourage you - this is a crackling, energetic Nutcracker that really lends a new lease of life to this overplayed ballet.
32 of 38 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I was a little apprehensive about buying this CD, as you can buy a boxed set of The Nutcracker, Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty for not a great deal more. However, as I already owned the Seiji Ozawa performance of Swan Lake (another excellent CD), I decided to continue to buy them separately.
I could not have made a better choice.
This CD is, in a word, superb. It is the whole ballet, rather than the extracts found on many other CDs. Although I am not a particular conneseur of clasical music, to me this performance is full of energy and excitement, and I could not possibly fault it. The sound quality is exceptional - perfectly reproduced with no hissing, clicks or buzzes.
This is an essential purchase for anybody who enjoys Tchikovsky's ballets, if not every classical music fan.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Gergiev makes the Nutcracker a driven romp, but most of the charm...
Two words basically sum up most of the criticism of this album: too fast. Squeezing the Nutcracker onto one disc certainly does require that tempi be on the brisk side, which makes... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Andrew R. Barnard
It's a Cracker!
The complete Nutcracker on one CD. Had the entire ballet before on 2 CDs and it was a bit of a pain changing it between acts. This, though, is bliss! Read more
Published 6 months ago by Louise
Superb recording
This CD is a treat.
I love the fact you can hear distinctively all the instruments.
And the Mariisnky & Gergiev master Russian music.
I love the fact you can hear distinctively all the instruments.
And the Mariisnky & Gergiev master Russian music.
Published 6 months ago by ogedei
Capolavoro.
Qualche mese fa mi trovavo a Salsomaggiore Terme, era domenica, entro in una libreria e fra gli scaffali trovo il libro "1000 dischi di musica classica" (guida all'ascolto e... Read more
Published 14 months ago by Mombelli Andrea
well...it's no where near as good as the u.s. marine band...
I've only just graduated from high school where I played in the school's symphonic winds band. But there are things that I learned that this group should have taken heed to. Read more
Published on 2 Jun 2006 by Jo
Slow Down!
This is too fast. I wonder whether any of it was artificially speeded up to fit it on one CD. With digital technology a piece can be speeded up with no change of pitch. Read more
Published on 13 Jan 2006
Sheer Brilliance.
A highly recommendable performance of The Nutcracker - vivid and passionate and truly Russian! The recording is flawless as well: buy it and enjoy.
Published on 9 Mar 2001 by oles@danbbs.dk
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
