This new Nutcracker comes 15 years after my favorite modern recording of this piece again by Gergiev with the Kirov Orchestra on Philips.
This older recording fit on one CD (timing around 81 minutes) and was recorded using "vacuum tube equipment" by Jaap de Jong. It was a beautiful recording of a very energetic performance. My favorite "ancient" recording (meaning I had it on vinyl) is Dorati's remake with the Concertgebouw from 1975.
Anyway, this new Nutcracker is over three minutes slower than the original Gergiev, but it really isn't that much more relaxed because most of the difference is in the longer playing time, over two minutes, for the Waltz of the Flowers and the following Intrada. The SACD sound in stereo (all I have) is clean, clear and dynamic. If you think you have your volume set correctly watch out for the climax in the scenes Clara and the Nutcracker and The Battle! All in all, I find this an amazingly exciting performance in demonstration sound. Streaming-wise I can find it only on Spotify and Apple Music. I listened to it first on Apple Music before my disc version arrived from MDT, and it sounded at least good there.
As a reviewer on Amazon said, the sound presentation is totally different for the Symphony No. 4. I prefer the Nutcracker sonics, and I find the performance of the symphony to be a little high on the navel-gazing (Russian brooding?) and a little lacking on the execution. The scherzo, however, is really good.
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Topic - New Gergiev Nutcracker - srl1 11:38:39 11/06/16 (22)
- Yeah - I'm kind of tempted by the new one - Chris from Lafayette 14:50:54 11/06/16 (18)
- OMG! People actually Listen to Nutcraker??? - oldmkvi 09:18:08 11/07/16 (8)
- Hey - you're cynical because of the endless seasonal performances you played! ;-) - Chris from Lafayette 16:00:39 11/07/16 (7)
- RE: Hey - you're cynical because of the endless seasonal performances you played! ;-) - oldmkvi 16:41:01 11/07/16 (6)
- Wow - A whole article about it on Wikipedia! "The Rimsky-Korsakov Scale" - Chris from Lafayette 18:46:51 11/07/16 (1)
- Hey, The Masters aren't called The Masters for nuthin'...nt - oldmkvi 19:22:40 11/07/16 (0)
- RE: Hey - you're cynical because of the endless seasonal performances you played! ;-) - Travis 17:47:33 11/07/16 (3)
- My Thanks to little girls who want to be Ballerinas! - oldmkvi 17:53:36 11/07/16 (2)
- RE: My Thanks to little girls who want to be Ballerinas! - Travis 19:47:05 11/07/16 (1)
- SF Ballet started the Whole Nutcraker thing, years ago. - oldmkvi 20:06:11 11/07/16 (0)
- RE: Yeah - I'm kind of tempted by the new one - PAR 15:51:05 11/06/16 (1)
- "A Russian band in Russian repertoire. Something special there." - Yup - Chris from Lafayette 16:05:33 11/06/16 (0)
- RE: Yeah - I'm kind of tempted by the new one - Travis 15:07:11 11/06/16 (6)
- Adjust the choreography! [nt] ;-) - Chris from Lafayette 15:59:26 11/06/16 (4)
- RE: Adjust your mind. nt - Travis 16:30:11 11/06/16 (3)
- It's too late for that - I'm getting into my dotage and adjustments are getting too hard [nt] ;-) - Chris from Lafayette 18:43:30 11/06/16 (2)
- RE: Hell, if you can - Travis 19:43:58 11/06/16 (1)
- OK! OK! - You've convinced me! - Chris from Lafayette 20:25:40 11/06/16 (0)
- RE: Yeah - I'm kind of tempted by the new one - PAR 15:55:36 11/06/16 (0)
- Thanks for report, I liked his earlier one too, can really hear stretches that sure inspired Stravinsky - jdaniel@jps.net 13:58:18 11/06/16 (2)
- This one? - srl1 15:41:36 11/06/16 (1)
- Yes , amazing score, fascinating sounds, before the govt domesticated him. I like it. - jdaniel@jps.net 12:52:47 11/07/16 (0)