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Tchaikovsky ballets with Slatkin

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Gerard

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Dec 9, 2022, 11:37:26 AM12/9/22
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Hurwitz was very enthousiastic lately about Slatikn's recording of
Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake. It appears to be his favorite recording.
Do other people here share that enthousiasm? And how about Slatkin's
recordings of Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker?

Herman

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Dec 9, 2022, 11:51:40 AM12/9/22
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I have the Slatkin Swan Lake, and it's just fine.
I remember staring in the orchestra pit at an Amsterdam Carré performance by the full Mariinski, and another guy says Swan Lake is really glorified marching band music ("Hoempa" in Dutch).
It's not like it's that hard to perform.
As I recall the Slatkin recording does not include the music that Balanchine used for his short ballet Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux. Some other recordings do.

Herman

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Dec 9, 2022, 11:55:08 AM12/9/22
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On Friday, December 9, 2022 at 5:51:40 PM UTC+1, Herman wrote:
> Swan Lake is really glorified marching band music ("Hoempa" in Dutch).
>
I have a hard time picturing people listening to Swan Lake at home a lot.

Gerard

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Dec 9, 2022, 12:40:08 PM12/9/22
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Op 2022-12-09 om 17:55 schreef Herman:
> On Friday, December 9, 2022 at 5:51:40 PM UTC+1, Herman wrote:
>> Swan Lake is really glorified marching band music ("Hoempa" in Dutch).
>>
> I have a hard time picturing people listening to Swan Lake at home a lot.

Here at home it's always a "success" - because the first waltz once was
used in a C&A advertisement. ;-) (op de tekst "o zo heerlijk")

Herman

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Dec 9, 2022, 1:20:14 PM12/9/22
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On Friday, December 9, 2022 at 6:40:08 PM UTC+1, Gerard wrote:
> because the first waltz once was
> used in a C&A advertisement. ;-) (op de tekst "o zo heerlijk")

really. they should have used the Dance of the Goblets in that case.

I went to three successive nights of that Mariinsky Swan Lake in that smallish theatre Carre, and that's how Swan Lake shoudl sound, to me. There's something of a wild animal sound in that orchestra in this usic, really unforgettable.

I have also sat in at many studio rehearsals of Swan Lake, with a studio pianist doing the grind, and the interesting thing is that Swan Lake on piano sounds just like Schumann.

Owen Hartnett

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Dec 9, 2022, 1:27:21 PM12/9/22
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The music was kind of an idee fixe in the original Dracula movie with
Bela Lugosi.

-Owen

raymond....@gmail.com

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Dec 9, 2022, 5:12:06 PM12/9/22
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I bought it as a result but it isn't for me. Very well played however but no magic and it all sounds a bit relentless. I find all 3 suites lacking any real charm, which is an essential ingredient this music must have.
You can have my copy of the Slatkin, no sweat.

Best in my opinion to keep with the likes of Fistoulari and and other well known recordings. Ansrmet is very fine too.

Ray Hall, Taree

raymond....@gmail.com

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Dec 9, 2022, 5:14:40 PM12/9/22
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Nutcracker is the best of the three suites by far, followed by Sleeping Beauty. At least to my ears.

Ray Hall, Taree

Gerard

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Dec 9, 2022, 6:32:49 PM12/9/22
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Op 2022-12-09 om 23:12 schreef raymond....@gmail.com:
The recordings (by Slatkin) I could find is a RCA/Sony box with all 3
complete ballets. Relatively cheap. I did not find any suites by Slatkin.
But that aside: I actually don't "need" other recordings of Tchaikovsky
ballets, having a lot of them already including Fistoulari with Swan
Lake highlights and Ansermet with the not really complete ballets.
But that video by Hurwitz has made me curious if I had missed something
very good. I cannot remember having seen ever any review of the
Tchaikovsky recordings by Slatkin, and surely not an enthusiastic one.
Maybe Hurwitz stands here alone - it would not be the first time ...


raymond....@gmail.com

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Dec 9, 2022, 6:47:32 PM12/9/22
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On Saturday, 10 December 2022 at 10:32:49 UTC+11, Gerard wrote:
> Op 2022-12-09 om 23:12 schreef raymond....gmail.com:
The Slatkin box has 6 cds, and has far more of the ballet music than I really need.
In any case, I found Fistoulari in my collection, and also Giulini with some highlights.
Many people say Dorati/RCO is very good especially in the Sleeping Beauty.

Ray Hall, Taree

Herman

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Dec 10, 2022, 1:08:56 AM12/10/22
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On Friday, December 9, 2022 at 11:12:06 PM UTC+1, raymond....@gmail.com wrote:
>I find all 3 suites lacking any real charm, which is an essential ingredient this music must have.
>
Slatkin's is no "suite", i.e. a highlights compilation. His recordings offer three more or less complete ballets.

Herman

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Dec 10, 2022, 2:53:57 AM12/10/22
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On Saturday, December 10, 2022 at 12:47:32 AM UTC+1, raymond....@gmail.com wrote:
>
> Many people say Dorati/RCO is very good especially in the Sleeping Beauty.
>
> Ray Hall, Taree

Yeah, many people say a lot of stuff.
Dorati is a terrific conductor, however the Concertgebouw performance is rather symphonic, with (as I recall) a dollop of engineered concertgebouw acoustic, which is very bad for rhythmic acuity.
People say a lot of things about the Tchaikovsky ballets, but the problem is it's unclear what they expect. For instance, you talk about getting "more than you need". That's an interesting perspective. Let's say we make a suite of the Beethoven piano concertos and turn those five pieces into one concert with some piano high jinks, because we don't want more than we need, and ma, can you get me a beer?

raymond....@gmail.com

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Dec 10, 2022, 3:23:58 AM12/10/22
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On Saturday, 10 December 2022 at 18:53:57 UTC+11, Herman wrote:
I'll take a whole Tchaikovsky ballet if it is a live ballet performance or a video, but for home listening I'll stick to highlights, especially the Sleeping Beauty and Nutcracker. I don't listen to Swan Lake as music.

Besides it isn't really a good analogy to compare using Beethoven's pcs as an example, because obviously they must stand alone as complete works. However I found Slatkin quite charmless even in the places where highlights are usually chosen. At the moment in Taree I play glockendspiel in the Nutcracker (Sugar Plum Fairy, Russian Dances and Marches) in a community band, and without any boasting I prefer playing than listening. The Plum Fairy must not be rushed, and it must be nuanced and with an injection of humour added. Slatkin runs a train over this section, even though the St. Louis Glocker will be far better than moi.

Tchaikovsky was working at a different level with his ballets than he was with his symphonic works, and was obviously having to accomodate choreography. To say it is lower level music is a bit unfair, but to some small extent it is true. I still love chunks of this music though, especially at this time of the year.

Ray Hall, Taree

Herman

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Dec 10, 2022, 3:46:44 AM12/10/22
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On Saturday, December 10, 2022 at 9:23:58 AM UTC+1, raymond....@gmail.com wrote:
> At the moment in Taree I play glockendspiel in the Nutcracker (Sugar Plum Fairy, Russian Dances and Marches) in a community band, and without any boasting I prefer playing than listening. The Plum Fairy must not be rushed, and it must be nuanced and with an injection of humour added. Slatkin runs a train over this section, even though the St. Louis Glocker will be far better than moi.

Oh that's fun. As you know Tchaikovsky was very proud of that bit.
>
> Tchaikovsky was working at a different level with his ballets than he was with his symphonic works, and was obviously having to accomodate choreography. To say it is lower level music is a bit unfair, but to some small extent it is true. I still love chunks of this music though, especially at this time of the year.
>
Regretfully I have to tell you this is not true, in so far that I disagree.
I find most of Tchaikovksy's symphonies horrible schlock (I'm not going to say that's 'true') and his Beauty and Nutcracker rise far above the level of the symphonies, in terms of invention and orchestration. The restrictions of 'numbers' were a blessing. Stravinsky felt the same way about this. Swan Lake is more or less on the same level.

Gerard

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Dec 10, 2022, 6:22:01 AM12/10/22
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Op 2022-12-10 om 09:23 schreef raymond....@gmail.com:
I love this music in any form - well, no, in most forms. E.g. as suites
for orchestra. Occasionally in a piano arrangement.
As long as it is not played charmless.

Re Dorati: I remember a discussion here with someone who talked about a
recording of Swan Lake by Dorati with the Concertgebouw Orchestra. He
was very persisting about that, stating that he was listening at it
"right now".



Herman

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Dec 10, 2022, 12:27:00 PM12/10/22
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On Saturday, December 10, 2022 at 12:22:01 PM UTC+1, Gerard wrote:
>
>
> Re Dorati: I remember a discussion here with someone who talked about a
> recording of Swan Lake by Dorati with the Concertgebouw Orchestra. He
> was very persisting about that, stating that he was listening at it
> "right now".
well that cannot have been me. I have Dorati's Minneapolis Swan Lake, which is only right, since Minnesota is the land of a thousand lakes, right?

Gerard

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Dec 10, 2022, 1:47:31 PM12/10/22
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Op 2022-12-10 om 18:26 schreef Herman:
Nope. Finland is ;-)

Herman

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Dec 10, 2022, 1:53:14 PM12/10/22
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On Saturday, December 10, 2022 at 7:47:31 PM UTC+1, Gerard wrote:
>
> > well that cannot have been me. I have Dorati's Minneapolis Swan Lake, which is only right, since Minnesota is the land of a thousand lakes, right?
> Nope. Finland is ;-)

The Minnesota license plates used to say "10.000 Lakes".

Gerard

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Dec 10, 2022, 2:41:05 PM12/10/22
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Op 2022-12-10 om 19:53 schreef Herman:
OK, always trust license plates. ;-)
What do they say about Slatkin's Tchaikovsky? 10.000 takes?


Alex Brown

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Dec 10, 2022, 3:53:50 PM12/10/22
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Love the complete ballets, but not these Slatkin recordings which are
robotic & average to my ears.

Instead:

* Swan Lake - Montéal/Dutoit

* Sleeping Beauty - Russian NO/Pletnev (or Concetgebouw/Dorati if you
can do slow)

* Nutcracker - Many great ones but this year it's London SO/Mackerras
for me!



--
- Alex Brown

gggg gggg

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Dec 10, 2022, 4:46:03 PM12/10/22
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Any reactions to Efrem Kurtz's recordings?

raymond....@gmail.com

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Dec 10, 2022, 5:22:07 PM12/10/22
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They were very good from memory.

Ray Hall, Taree

raymond....@gmail.com

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Dec 10, 2022, 5:28:00 PM12/10/22
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188,000 give or take one or two. I know a Finnish lady in Taree that says Finland is just a giant swamp - with lots of trees.

Ray Hall, Taree

Gerard

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Dec 11, 2022, 7:12:02 AM12/11/22
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Op 2022-12-10 om 21:53 schreef Alex Brown:
Thanks. I have all those, except Slatkin ;-) I will keep it that way.



Gerard

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Dec 11, 2022, 7:14:05 AM12/11/22
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Op 2022-12-10 om 23:22 schreef raymond....@gmail.com:
Did he make recordings of the complete ballets? I have some
highlights/suites with Kurtz.

Andrew Clarke

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Dec 11, 2022, 10:32:55 AM12/11/22
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On Saturday, December 10, 2022 at 3:51:40 AM UTC+11, Herman wrote:
> I have the Slatkin Swan Lake, and it's just fine.
> I remember staring in the orchestra pit at an Amsterdam Carré performance by the full Mariinski, and another guy says Swan Lake is really glorified marching band music ("Hoempa" in Dutch).

Glorious! That's "oompah" in British English - can't speak for the Americans here, but I expect a number of them will speak for themselves. It refers to the sound of the lower brass in military or brass bands, and indeed in boy's comics, any enormous brass instrument apparently capable of swallowing its owner alive was known as an "oompah".

It also seems to a term applied to the kind of bierstein-waving, lederhosen-wearing musicians which the Germans bring out for the benefit of tourists in places like Munich.

Andrew Clarke
Canberra


raymond....@gmail.com

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Dec 11, 2022, 3:31:43 PM12/11/22
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On Sunday, 11 December 2022 at 23:14:05 UTC+11, Gerard wrote:
> Op 2022-12-10 om 23:22 schreef raymond....gmail.com:
I don't think so, but he recorded a lot of the highlights circa late 1950s. It wasn't in vogue then to record every bit of something, especially ballets. The medium of vinyl didn't encourage this either. He was well versed as a conductor of ballet.

Ray Hall, Taree

number_six

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Dec 11, 2022, 10:12:47 PM12/11/22
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Complete or mostly so -- I recall a 3-lp box on Seraphim
Kurtz was great

gggg gggg

unread,
Dec 13, 2022, 1:41:24 AM12/13/22
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On Friday, December 9, 2022 at 8:37:26 AM UTC-8, Gerard wrote:
> Hurwitz was very enthousiastic lately about Slatikn's recording of
> Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake. It appears to be his favorite recording.
> Do other people here share that enthousiasm? And how about Slatkin's
> recordings of Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker?

Among the most expensive records sold at DISCOG last month was Ansermet's "Royal Ballet Gala Performances":

https://www.discogs.com/digs/collecting/most-expensive-items-sold-on-discogs-november-2022/?utm_source=Homepage&utm_medium=Discogs&utm_campaign=Collecting_2022_12_09

Dan Koren

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Dec 14, 2022, 5:37:10 PM12/14/22
to
On Friday, December 9, 2022 at 8:37:26 AM UTC-8, Gerard wrote:
>
> Hurwitz was very enthousiastic lately about Slatikn's recording of
> Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake. It appears to be his favorite recording.
> Do other people here share that enthousiasm? And how about
> Slatkin's recordings of Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker?

Which part(s) is Slatkin dancing?

dk

Dan Koren

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Dec 14, 2022, 5:38:12 PM12/14/22
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On Friday, December 9, 2022 at 8:51:40 AM UTC-8, Herman wrote:
>
> another guy says Swan Lake is really glorified
> marching band music ("Hoempa" in Dutch).

Precisely! ;-)

> It's not like it's that hard to perform.

It is much harder to dance.

dk

Dan Koren

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Dec 15, 2022, 6:38:01 AM12/15/22
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On Friday, December 9, 2022 at 8:37:26 AM UTC-8, Gerard wrote:
> Hurwitz was very enthousiastic lately about Slatikn's recording of
> Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake. It appears to be his favorite recording.
> Do other people here share that enthousiasm? And how about Slatkin's
> recordings of Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker?

What is the reason Slatkin battles withTchaikovsky?

dk

gggg gggg

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Dec 15, 2022, 12:29:47 PM12/15/22
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On Friday, December 9, 2022 at 8:37:26 AM UTC-8, Gerard wrote:
> Hurwitz was very enthousiastic lately about Slatikn's recording of
> Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake. It appears to be his favorite recording.
> Do other people here share that enthousiasm? And how about Slatkin's
> recordings of Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker?

Didn't Reiner record a Nutcracker highlights album?

And didn't Monteux record a Swan Lake highlights album and a Sleeping Beauty highlights album?

gggg gggg

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Dec 15, 2022, 12:33:12 PM12/15/22
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On Friday, December 9, 2022 at 8:37:26 AM UTC-8, Gerard wrote:
> Hurwitz was very enthousiastic lately about Slatikn's recording of
> Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake. It appears to be his favorite recording.
> Do other people here share that enthousiasm? And how about Slatkin's
> recordings of Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker?

http://www.classicalmusicguide.com/viewtopic.php?t=37557

Gerard

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Dec 15, 2022, 1:28:46 PM12/15/22
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Op 2022-12-15 om 18:29 schreef gggg gggg:
Yes.

Herman

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Dec 15, 2022, 1:59:21 PM12/15/22
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Pretty much every single recorded conductor made Tchaikovsky ballet albums. Even Karajan did.

I'm not suggesting they did it for the money... They just wanted to spread happiness...

MELMOTH

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Dec 15, 2022, 2:02:45 PM12/15/22
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Il se trouve que Gerard a formulé :
>> And didn't Monteux record a Swan Lake highlights album and a Sleeping
>> Beauty highlights album?

La Belle au bois dormant (extraits) · opus 66
ø 3/6 et 13 juin 1957 - LSO
* CD : Decca
* LP : RCA Victor LSC 2177 (p 1958) / Decca 592 016 (p 1981)

Le Lac des Cygnes (extraits) · opus 20
Monteux, 1957 (Emi "Grands Chefs du XXe siècle" CZS 5 75477 2)

[1] ø Londres, Hinksway Hall, juin 1957 - LSO
* CD : Emi "Grands Chefs du XXe siècle" CZS 5 75477 2 (p 2003)

Monteux, 1957 (Philips Philips 6768 339 - coffret 6 LP)

[2] ø Londres, 28/29 juin 1962 - LSO
* CD : Philips "The Early Years" 442 546-2 (p 1994) / 426 975-2 (p 1991
partiel)
* LP : Philips (p 1963) / 835 142 / 839 812 / 6768 339 (p 1982 -
coffret)
Violon solo : Hugh Maguire
7 Répertoire n° 74

Dan Koren

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Dec 15, 2022, 3:23:40 PM12/15/22
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On a par with baroque and HIP harpsichordists? ;-)

dk

Dan Koren

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Dec 15, 2022, 3:24:35 PM12/15/22
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Why don't you post a few sound clips? Reading the
LP numbers doesn't help anyone hear the works.

dk

gggg gggg

unread,
Dec 15, 2022, 3:44:18 PM12/15/22
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And didn't Monteux's Sleeping B. originally come out as a Living Stereo LSC- lp but subsequently as a Victrola lp AND as a London Stereo Treasury lp?

Herman

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Dec 15, 2022, 3:50:21 PM12/15/22
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Try to think before typing and spreading your ignorance...
HIP Baroque is a niche market for the birckenstock folks.
Not a profit generator, as everything Tchaikovsky is, especially 'fun' works like ballet suites.

Gerard

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Dec 15, 2022, 3:54:47 PM12/15/22
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Op 2022-12-15 om 19:59 schreef Herman:
> On Thursday, December 15, 2022 at 7:28:46 PM UTC+1, Gerard wrote:
>> Op 2022-12-15 om 18:29 schreef gggg gggg:
>>> On Friday, December 9, 2022 at 8:37:26 AM UTC-8, Gerard wrote:
>>>> Hurwitz was very enthousiastic lately about Slatikn's recording of
>>>> Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake. It appears to be his favorite recording.
>>>> Do other people here share that enthousiasm? And how about Slatkin's
>>>> recordings of Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker?
>>>
>>> Didn't Reiner record a Nutcracker highlights album?
>>>
>>> And didn't Monteux record a Swan Lake highlights album and a Sleeping Beauty highlights album?
>> Yes.
>
> Pretty much every single recorded conductor made Tchaikovsky ballet albums. Even Karajan did.
>

Karajan did so more than once. His suites for Decca, with the VPO, are
quite good. According to what I read here about Slatkin's recordings,
Karajan really is to be preferred.


Dan Koren

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Dec 15, 2022, 4:21:37 PM12/15/22
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On Thursday, December 15, 2022 at 12:50:21 PM UTC-8, Herman wrote:
> On Thursday, December 15, 2022 at 9:23:40 PM UTC+1, dan....@gmail.com wrote:
> > On Thursday, December 15, 2022 at 10:59:21 AM UTC-8, Herman wrote:
> > >
> > > I'm not suggesting they did it for the money...
> > > They just wanted to spread happiness...
> > >
> > On a par with baroque and HIP harpsichordists? ;-)
>
> Try to think before typing and spreading your ignorance...
> HIP Baroque is a niche market for the birckenstock folks.
> Not a profit generator, as everything Tchaikovsky is,
> especially 'fun' works like ballet suites.

Try to read and parse before you reply. I was
clearly referring to "spreading happiness",
not to making money -- just as you did.

You proove again and again you are an
ignorant, illiterate, brainfucked imbecile.

dk

gggg gggg

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Feb 13, 2023, 12:15:36 AM2/13/23
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