Audio CD
SPARS Code: DDD
Number of Discs: 1
Format: APE (image+cue)
Label: Telarc
Size: 290 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
01. Overture
02 Scene 1: The Christmas Tree
03. Scene 2: March
04. Scene 3: Children’s Galop and Arrival of the Guests
05. Scene 4: Parents’ Waltz
06. Scene 6: Magic Spell Begins
07. Scene 8: Scene in the Pine Forest (Journey through the Snow)
08. Scene 9: Waltz of the Snowflakes
09. Scene 10: The Magic Castle
10. Scene 11: Clara and the Prince
11. Scene 12: Chocolate: Spanish Dance
12. Scene 12: Coffee: Arabian Dance
13. Scene 12: Tea: Chinese Dance
14. Scene 12: Trepak: Russian Dance
15. Scene 12: Dance of the Mirlitons
16. Scene 12: Mother Gigone and Her Little Clowns0
17. Scene 13: Waltz of the Flowers
18. Scene 14: Pas de deux: Prince and the Sugar-Plum Fairy
19. Scene 14: Variation I: Tarantella
20. Scene 14: Variation II: Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy
21. Scene 14: Coda
22. Scene 15: Final Waltz and Apotheosis
Nutcracker Selections Indeed.
This new SACD of Selections from Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker from Erich Kunzel and the Cinncinati Pops sounds wonderful, if you like selections that is. The Cinncinati Pops play the pieces quite well, and Erich Kunzel conducts at a reasonably pleasing tempo, not too slow, not too fast. Telarc as usual provides a full clean sound and plenty of presence in the
soundstage. The only complaint I have with this recordinig is that they should have gone ahead and recorded the entire work. It is annoying to hear this work with many parts missing. Although the parts you do get to hear are very well played. I cannot help but be remimded of the classic recordings of Fiedler and the Boston Pops, and Ormandy and the Philadelphis Orchestra. I guess Telarc did not want to compete with their recording by Mackerras and the LSO. Finally I prefer these performances to the ones of the complete ballet on the Pentatone Label. This disc sounds so much better than that set.