Mikhail Pletnev, Russian National Orchestra - Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker (2011)

Fans of the Nutcracker Suite who are looking for more of the same type of music need look no further than the complete ballet, which contains almost four times as much music as the eight-movement suite. The suite includes much of the most striking music, but the entire ballet is a lovely, lyrical piece that should appeal to fans of graceful Romantic orchestral music. Mikhail Pletnev, leading the Russian National Orchestra and the Vesna Children's Choir, delivers an elegant account of the score. The orchestra plays with dazzling precision and a warm, round tone, and beautifully conveys the predominant mood of magical, gossamer delicacy. Although this is certainly music with which the orchestra is intimately familiar, there is nothing routine about their playing. Some of the more passionate moments, such as the first scene in the forest, don't quite summon the surging grandeur the music requires, but otherwise the piece moves with plenty of drama. It's in Pletnev's attention to details that the performance really stands out. The scintillating, jewel-like Overture sets the tone of the performers' alert, attentive approach to the ballet. The swirl of strings rising from the cellos to the violins' heights that punctuates the March really does seem to swirl around the listener's head. The use of a children's (rather than an adult) choir in the "Waltz of the Snowflakes" is especially effective. Ondine's sound is immaculate, full, and nicely detailed. Pletnev and the Russian National Orchestra are veterans with Tchaikovsky; they have recorded the composer's two other ballets and the complete symphonies, so listeners looking for more have plenty to pursue.

Track List:

CD 1
1. The Nutcracker, Op. 71, TH 14: Overture
2. The Nutcracker, Op. 71, TH 14, Act I: No. 1, Decoration of the Christmas Tree
3. The Nutcracker, Op. 71, TH 14, Act I: No. 2, March
4. The Nutcracker, Op. 71, TH 14, Act I: No. 3, Children's Galop and Entry of the Parents
5. The Nutcracker, Op. 71, TH 14, Act I: No. 4, Dance Scene
6. The Nutcracker, Op. 71, TH 14, Act I: No. 5, Scene and Grandfather's Dance
7. The Nutcracker, Op. 71, TH 14, Act I: No. 6, Departure of the Guests - Night
8. The Nutcracker, Op. 71, TH 14, Act I: No. 7, The Battle and Transformation Scene
9. The Nutcracker, Op. 71, TH 14, Act I: No. 8, The Forest of Fir Trees in Winter
10. The Nutcracker, Op. 71, TH 14, Act I: No. 9, Waltz of the Snowflakes

CD 2
1. The Nutcracker, Op. 71, TH 14, Act II: No. 10, The Enchanged Palace of the Kingdom of Sweets
2. The Nutcracker, Op. 71, TH 14, Act II: No. 11, Arrival of Clara and the Nutcracker
3. The Nutcracker, Op. 71, TH 14, Act II: No. 12a, Divertissement. Chocolate - Spanish Dance
4. The Nutcracker, Op. 71, TH 14, Act II: No. 12b, Divertissement. Coffee - Arabian Dance
5. The Nutcracker, Op. 71, TH 14, Act II: No. 12c, Divertissement. Tea - Chinese Dance
6. The Nutcracker, Op. 71, TH 14, Act II: No. 12d, Divertissement. Trepak - Russian Dance
7. The Nutcracker, Op. 71, TH 14, Act II: No. 12e, Divertissement. Dance of the Toy Flutes
8. The Nutcracker, Op. 71, TH 14, Act II: No. 12f, Divertissement. Mother Gigogne and the Clowns
9. The Nutcracker, Op. 71, TH 14, Act II: No. 13, Waltz of the Flowers
10. The Nutcracker, Op. 71, TH 14, Act II: No. 14,a Pas de deux. The Prince and the Sugar-Plum Fairy
11. The Nutcracker, Op. 71, TH 14, Act II: No. 14b, Var. I. Tarantella
12. The Nutcracker, Op. 71, TH 14, Act II: No. 14c, Var. II. Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy
13. The Nutcracker, Op. 71, TH 14, Act II: No. 15a, Coda
14. The Nutcracker, Op. 71, TH 14, Act II: No. 15b, Final Waltz
15. The Nutcracker, Op. 71, TH 14, Act II: No. 15c, Apotheosis

Performers:
Russian National Orchestra
Mikhail Pletnev, conductor