[ Chandos SACD / 2 Hybrid SACD ]
Release Date: Thursday 1 November 2012
Should this item be out of stock at the time of your order, we would expect to be able to supply it to you within 2 - 5 business days.
This two-disc set marks the beginning of a new project devoted to Tchaikovsky's ballet scores. We start the survey with the complete score of The Sleeping Beauty, recorded on SACD. Swan Lake and The Nutcracker will follow in 2013 and 2014, respectively.
"Järvi seems never to put a foot wrong and the Bergen orchestra impresses as much, conducted by him, as it does under its principal conductor Andrew Litton... the producers have pulled out all the stops and engaged no less a violinist than James Ehnes to play the important violin solos, a strikingly indulgent decision which pays dividends because Ehnes' outstanding technique makes these sections truly memorable." (MusicWeb)
"From the outset...it is clear that Jarvi has no intention of lingering. His brisk allegros would probably rush the most virtuosic ballerinas off their feet in the theatre. On record, without the distraction of spectacle and dancing, the dramatic momentum hardly lets up, although he and the excellent Bergen players luxuriate in the rapt steps of Aurora's famous Rose Adagio." (Sunday Times)
"[Järvi] turns a second-tier orchestra into a world beater, holding the Bergen Philharmonic in the palm of his hand. Despite speeds that are noticeably faster than you would expect in the theatre, Järvi makes every phrase dance and smile." (Financial Times)
"The Bergen Philharmonic proves an ideal instrument for one of Tchaikovsky's most magical scores. Neeme Jarvi's every demand is met with immaculate playing, recorded in a warm but not too resonant acoustic...That said, Jarvi chooses some quirky tempos...there is plenty here to delight lovers of this ballet." (BBC Music)