# Favorite Swan Lake recordings



## adriesba

I didn't see a thread for _Swan Lake _recordings. 

Just bought this one:

View attachment 137535


Which recordings do you like?


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## Hermastersvoice

What this music does not need is somebody pointing out and expanding the big tunes. It is indeed lovely music but it speaks for itself. Restraint, precision of execution and unwavering rhythm makes the listening experience a lasting one. Less is definitely more. In my late twenties I lost interest in this music, until some review (in Diapason, I think) pointed me in the direction of Monteux on Philips, now a bargain on Eloquence.
It was like I’d never heard the music before. Later I discovered their Sleeping Beauty as well. It had some of the same arresting affect. I never liked the saccharine quality of Nutcracker, until I heard Rodzinsky applying muscle to that score. Karajan, Gergiev and in a stupid impulse buy, Rattle, are now just collecting dust. Monteux and Rodzinsky are the go-tos.


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## Brahmsianhorn

Not complete, but I love the Desormiere recording


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## VitellioScarpia

I have enjoyed the recording by Ozawa conducting the BSO.


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## RobertKC

Would you rather just listen to a CD, or hear and see Swan Lake in excellent Blu-ray audio/video quality?










Following is an excerpt:


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## Josquin13

"Which recordings do you like?"

That's easy, Gennady Rozhdestvensky's recording with the Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra:






Although Pierre Monteux was likewise exceptional in this music, & maybe even more so, with the London Symphony Orchestra on an old Philips "Festivo" LP (which was reissued on CD by Philips as part of their "Silver line Classics" series, & most recently by Eloquence: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01B4GBVIS/ref=nav_timeline_asin?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1 ). But as far as I know Monteux only recorded the highlights in 1962, and not the complete ballet: 



.

I wouldn't want to be without Igor Markevitch's recorded excerpts with the Philharmonia Orchestra, either: 




Eugene Ormandy was also in his element in this music, with the Philadelphia Orchestra (Columbia, mono-1957, and again in stereo in 1973?): 



.

As was Anatole Fistoulari, who recorded excerpts from the ballet with the Concertgebouw Orchestra in 1961: 




Among digital era recordings, Wolfgang Sawallisch's recording with the Philadelphia Orchestra is very good, but I don't prefer his recording to Rozhdestvensky's (or any of the others mentioned above), as Rozhdestvensky was more idiomatic in Swan Lake than Sawallisch: 



.

Andre Previn's analogue EMI recording with the London Symphony Orchestra is very fine, too: 



.

Otherwise, Yuri Temirkanov is likely excellent in this music, but I've not heard his recording. Nor have I heard Dutoit's Montreal recording, either.


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## Heck148

I have Monteux with excerpts from "Sleeping Beauty" which is very fine...Monteux always with the deft touch in ballet...
I have Suite from "Swan Lake " with Muti/Philadelphia which is very good, but the best I've heard is the Solti/CSO .....predictably high-powered, exciting...the great waltz is amazing!! Worth the price of admission by itself!!


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## realdealblues

I personally like Slatkin in St. Louis. You can pick it up in a box set with all 3 Tchaikovsky Ballets conducted by Slatkin for $20. All are excellent. Great bargain buy with excellent sound and playing.


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## Heck148

realdealblues said:


> I personally like Slatkin in St. Louis. You can pick it up in a box set with all 3 Tchaikovsky Ballets conducted by Slatkin for $20. All are excellent. Great bargain buy with excellent sound and playing.


That sounds interesting...think I'll check it out...


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## jegreenwood

realdealblues said:


> I personally like Slatkin in St. Louis. You can pick it up in a box set with all 3 Tchaikovsky Ballets conducted by Slatkin for $20. All are excellent. Great bargain buy with excellent sound and playing.


I picked up a box set of Previn conducting all three on EMI. Under $25 new from Amazon now, but I paid less than $15 if I recall correctly.


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## adriesba

I just started listening to the Dutoit recording I got. It's very vigorous. One reviewer on Amazon says it has cuts though. What is a good option for an uncut _Swan Lake_? I've heard Bonynge's _Sleeping Beauty _is uncut, and I love his _Nutcracker _recording.Perhaps I should look there?

Edit: Someone on Amazon says that Bonynge's _Swan Lake_ is cut.


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## Animal the Drummer

I have an affection for Rostropovich and the Berlin Phil in this music. At times the phrasing is quite idiosyncratic (wasn't it always with Rostropovich?) but in this repertoire I don't find that out of place.


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## Judith

Didn't think about this one. RLPO and Vasily Petrenko


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## JAS

Svetlanov's approach to Tchaikovsky's ballet music tends to be almost symphonic. (I don't know that it would be as good to dance to, but it makes for a compelling listening experience.)


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## Triplets

jegreenwood said:


> I picked up a box set of Previn conducting all three on EMI. Under $25 new from Amazon now, but I paid less than $15 if I recall correctly.


I had the Previn lps back in the day. I haven't heard them in a while. The music is indestructible, any one who stands in front of a major orchestra waving the stick will probably put a smile on your face. I picked Maurice Abravanel and the Utah SO on DVD-A when Tower Records had their bankruptcy sale. The Utah SO isn't the Vienna PO but the High Resolution recording and Abravanel panache make it a lot of fun. I also have a Naxos SACD with Yablonsky and a Russian Orchestra that's a bit cruder performance but still fun.


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## Rogerx

adriesba said:


> I just started listening to the Dutoit recording I got. It's very vigorous. One reviewer on Amazon says it has cuts though. What is a good option for an uncut _Swan Lake_? I've heard Bonynge's _Sleeping Beauty _is uncut, and I love his _Nutcracker _recording.Perhaps I should look there?
> 
> Edit: Someone on Amazon says that Bonynge's _Swan Lake_ is cut.


Cuts or not, still my number one, followed by Previn.


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## jegreenwood

Rogerx said:


> Cuts or not, still my number one, followed by Previn.


I've read that the Previn is uncut. Can't confirm it as I don't know the score in such detail. Indeed - I would argue that there are several "complete scores." From Wikipedia:

During the late 1880s and early 1890s, Petipa and Vsevolozhsky discussed with Tchaikovsky the possibility of reviving Swan Lake. However, Tchaikovsky died on 6 November 1893, just when plans to revive Swan Lake were beginning to come to fruition. It remains uncertain whether Tchaikovsky was prepared to revise the music for this revival. Whatever the case, as a result of Tchaikovsky's death, Drigo was forced to revise the score himself, after receiving approval from Tchaikovsky's younger brother, Modest. There are major differences between Drigo's and Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake score. Today, it is Riccardo Drigo's revision of Tchaikovsky's score, and not Tchaikovsky's original score of 1877, that most ballet companies use.

In addition, after the premiere, Tchaikovsky added a pas de deux, which was thought lost until 1953. Balanchine has choreographed this piece as a standalone.


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## Rogerx

jegreenwood said:


> I've read that the Previn is uncut. Can't confirm it as I don't know the entire score. Indeed - I would argue that there are several "complete scores." From Wikipedia:
> 
> During the late 1880s and early 1890s, Petipa and Vsevolozhsky discussed with Tchaikovsky the possibility of reviving Swan Lake. However, Tchaikovsky died on 6 November 1893, just when plans to revive Swan Lake were beginning to come to fruition. It remains uncertain whether Tchaikovsky was prepared to revise the music for this revival. Whatever the case, as a result of Tchaikovsky's death, Drigo was forced to revise the score himself, after receiving approval from Tchaikovsky's younger brother, Modest. There are major differences between Drigo's and Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake score. Today, it is Riccardo Drigo's revision of Tchaikovsky's score, and not Tchaikovsky's original score of 1877, that most ballet companies use.


adriesba is talking about the Bonynge set.


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## jegreenwood

Rogerx said:


> adriesba is talking about the Bonynge set.


But you mentioned the Previn. And Adriesba was looking for an uncut version.

p.s. please see my edited post, done as you were posting yours.


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## adriesba

jegreenwood said:


> I've read that the Previn is uncut. Can't confirm it as I don't know the score in such detail. Indeed - I would argue that there are several "complete scores." From Wikipedia:
> 
> During the late 1880s and early 1890s, Petipa and Vsevolozhsky discussed with Tchaikovsky the possibility of reviving Swan Lake. However, Tchaikovsky died on 6 November 1893, just when plans to revive Swan Lake were beginning to come to fruition. It remains uncertain whether Tchaikovsky was prepared to revise the music for this revival. Whatever the case, as a result of Tchaikovsky's death, Drigo was forced to revise the score himself, after receiving approval from Tchaikovsky's younger brother, Modest. There are major differences between Drigo's and Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake score. Today, it is Riccardo Drigo's revision of Tchaikovsky's score, and not Tchaikovsky's original score of 1877, that most ballet companies use.
> 
> In addition, after the premiere, Tchaikovsky added a pas de deux, which was thought lost until 1953. Balanchine has choreographed this piece as a standalone.


Ah... this complicates things. Now, to tell if they use they original score or Drigo's score! Too bad I can't read music, lol.


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## adriesba

Rogerx said:


> adriesba is talking about the Bonynge set.





jegreenwood said:


> But you mentioned the Previn. And Adriesba was looking for an uncut version.
> 
> p.s. please see my edited post, done as you were posting yours.


Right. I'll probably get the Bonynge set eventually, but I do want a complete version. If such sets exist, I'd also like to hear the original version and standard Drigo version. I want to hear all the music.


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## Itullian

3 complete ballets in first class digital sound


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## DarkAngel

John Lanchbery from the early 1980s, very hard to find his sets now on used market but I always come back to them they have extra sparkle and rythmic lift, enchanting performances.....

The famous Nureyev Swan DVD has Lanchbery soundtrack.........


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## adriesba

I see it is specified on the back of this CD case that Ansermet uses the Drigo score: https://www.amazon.com/Tchaikovsky-Great-Ballets-Pyotr-Ilyich/dp/B003E1QD8K


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## vincula

This Previn Box's a screaming bargain, methinks. Looks it's complete now.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tchaikovsk...e-bin:382528011&rnid=382527011&s=music&sr=1-1

Regards,

Vincula


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## Brahmsian Colors

My choice is Monteux.


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## Geoff48

If you can put up with the Drigo version, and that mean a score approaching three hours is reduced to less than 100 minutes (and that includes two additional piano pieces orchestrated to bulk out the 4th act) the old mono version by Anatole Fistoulari is worth considering. Fistoulari was a superb ballet conductor who managed to bring out the drama in the music as well as the sweetness in the lyrical sections. He had Campoli to play the two pas de Deux (the Russian Dance was unfortunately one of the omissions).
For an extended suite Fistoulari recorded a stereo LP with the Concertgebouw which is also first class as is a similar version by Pierre Monteux. But the best of the extended suites is that by Efrem Kurtz and Yehudi Menuhin. Menuhin never completed a studio version of the Tchaikovsky concerto ( although his abandoned version with Boult has been resurrected and is well worth hearing); there is a live version with Fricsay but the last movement is heavily cut. However this suite includes the two pas de deux and the Russian Dance and no one has ever brought out their beauty as well as Menuhin. I’m not sure anyone could dance to them as Menuhin doesn’t practice strict ballet tempo though.
Incidentally Fistoulari did later record a ‘complete ‘ version on Phase 4. For me the ‘spectacular’ sound is not an attraction and detracts from the good but not outstanding performance.


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