Telarc Nutcracker?

Love the Rodzinski recording for Westminster. A friend who is the reel to reel list moderator has the 1/2 track reel of it.

 

I have this one, but its from 1981. The acoustics of the Masonic Auditorium are fantastic.

 

This is the Telarc version that I've always enjoyed the most as well...I think this was one of the first classical recordings I owned along with the good ol' Telarc 1812 overture disc. I always loved Telarc recordings, it's a shame they got out of the classical SACD business.

 

It must be interesting to compare two Telarcs. Obviously Michael Bishop and other later vintage Telarc engineers are capable and had later-generation A-D converters, but to me Jack Renner's dedication to minimal miking stands for a lot. Many later Telarc recordings, while always tasteful, seemed to employ more mikes. Are my ears deceiving me?

 

Jack Renner was really one of the best classical engineers of the 1980's. He really was an artist at balances and mimimalist microphone techniques. His name on the credits was a sign of quality then as it is now. A real artisan.

 

My recollection is that it's pretty bright, but maybe I should go back and revisit it now that I'm experimentally running some tube gear. I've long suspected that many of those double decker sets were sourced from tapes EQed for LP mastering.

 

I picked up the 1981 edition from Telarc (used) for $5 on Friday.

 

This should be obvious to virtually any classical aficionado, but that is a recording of the Nutcracker Suite, a set of excerpts from the complete ballet. The "other Telarc" posters have mentioned here, along with performances by Dorati, Ansermet, etc., are performances of the full Nutcracker ballet, which runs around an hour and a half, while the suite is only about twenty-five minutes long, and has the excerpts completely out-of-order from the way they appear in the ballet. A very different beast. Maybe I can put it in terms people around here would understand: it's a little like comparing The Beatles in Mono to the "red" and "blue" double albums.

 

You are correct about that CD that I mentioned being the short (and "SUITE" sweet, in my opinion) version. That CD has the perfect amount of "The Nutcracker" for this fan, as it's quick and directly to the point, even if it is "chronically" out of proper order! I feel it VERY fair for you to have pointing out that my disc is NOT the entire ballet, so someone who might be looking for that, would probably end up disappointed, if they bought the disc that I mentioned!

 

Right, the Nutcracker Suite is a greatest hits version. Most of the tracks people know best are there. As people who've heard and enjoy the entire ballet know, the complete version is just as worthy, although some performances of the suite are so well played, it's hard to dismiss them. The Telarc Suite conducted by Maazel that started this is one such recording, and its sound is peerless. Another is Ormandy's, which I believe is more than just the Suite, but short of the entire ballet. Another wonderful piece, Ravel's Mother Goose Ballet, is also often played in a suite version. And, again, some recordings are compromises that offer more music than just the suite, but are short of the ballet. For instance, Ansermet realized that Ravel wrote what would now be called "bumpers" to cover moving set piece on and off stage. He considered these parts unnecessary and omitted them in his otherwise full recording. (Again, I'm talking Ravel, not Tchaikovsky here).

My absolute favorite of the Tchaikovsky Nutcracker Ballet is Dorati's, which is available as a two-CD Philips "Twofer". It simply sounds beautiful. It is not his earlier Mercury recording, which is so often cited by audiophiles, but IMHO the later orchestra is better. I still find an ancient Stokowski suite version contains more atmosphere than any version I've ever heard, and it's just the suite, in mono recorded on 78s.

 

Well, a few months ago I saw both the Double Disc and single disc version at a local flea market/

Double was $6.00, but I forgot where I saw it, and could not find the seller as I walked past it to find more enticing things.

I ended up getting the Single Disc ((excerpts)) 1988 Sir Charles Mackerras, version for $2.00 and while I think it is great, I keep wondering about that double disc one!!

 

There is also in addition to the entire ballet, and suite, a one disc version that is about an hour long. Pretty decent, as it has a good bit more than the suite.

 

Can't say I've heard the Telarc, but I'm pretty satisfied with the Mercury SACD. It's OOP but worth tracking down.
If you don't mind me asking here, has anyone got recommendations for Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake on CD?

 

The Dorati on Mercury is very good. For a "larger" sound, Previn's version with the London Symphony is highly recommendable, and can be obtained from HDtracks at 24/96, as well as on CD. For the other two ballets, Previn is once again a top pick (Swan Lake is also at HDtracks, but not yet Sleeping Beauty), and Dutoit's Swan Lake is very nice as well.

 

Perhaps this is a sleeper recording, but I really like Slatkin's 2-disc Nutcracker. The St Louis Symphony is fine, the hall has a great acoustic and Slatkin brings his trademarked melancholy that at least underscores the piece's Russian soul. It's long out of print, but it's worth picking up if you spot it. The booklet is about the best I've ever seen, with nice old illustrations and detailed notes.

Oh, it's not a Telarc recording, but it was obviously budgeted to A level, with a genuine Soundstream digital recording, tastefully multi-miked with Schoeps mics and run through a Neve console by Paul Goodman and Frank Rodriguez at Powell Hall in St Louis.

 

That's the one I settled on . . .

 

It's been a few years since this was discussed.

I have the Andre Previn with the London Symphony Orchestra recording on LP and it sounds very good. I see its just been reissued if anyone is looking for a new, clean copy. This is the complete symphony on 2 LPs, not a highlights version. My LP is dated 1972 which must be when it first came out. I bought my LP in the early 80's.

I am looking at getting a good version of this music on CD also. This thread contains several recommendations.

 

I just found a Kurtz conducted Philharmonia recording. What a sleeper! I wasn't expecting much. Wow, was I wrong. It is among my favorites. Atmosphere and excellent playing. It's a great argument for playing a suite. I really didn't notice much missing. It's much longer than most suites. 15 selections. It's all recorded at Kingsway Hall by Neville Boyling, among EMI's best engineers. No notes.

Keep out an eye for this one.

 

Ansermet’s The Royal Ballet Gala SACD has the suite and the sound is simply incredible.

 

Is this 1 disc or 2, LP or CD?

 

It's a one-disc CD release. Apparently it's been released in an "audiophile edition". Mine is an EMI release made in Canada and dated 1989. No other information is available. I found out the production information from other sites.

 

If its one disc it's probably not the whole symphony. I think CDs are limited to 75-78 minutes? Not totally sure of the exact time but i think the whole piece is well over 80 minutes. I see one on ebay and reading the back it looks like an expanded highlights version.

I realize thats all many people want. I'm looking for a great sounding CD of the entire piece.