Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Act 1 - Introduction/No. 1 Scène
2. Act 1 - No. 2, Valse - Intrada
3. Act 1 - No. 3, Scène
4. Act 1 - No. 4, Pas De Trois: Intrada/Adagio/Allegro Semplice - Presto/Moderato/Allegro/Coda
5. Act 1 - No. 5, Pas De Deux: Tempo Di Valse/Andante - Allegro - Molto Più Mosso/Tempo Di Valse/Coda
6. Act 1 - No. 6, Pas D'action
7. Act 1 - No. 7, Sujet
8. Act 1 - No. 8, Danse Des Coupes
9. Act 1 - No. 9, Finale
10. Act 2 - No. 10, Scène
11. Act 2 - No. 11, Scène
12. Act 2 - No. 12, Scène
13. Act 2 - No. 13, Danse Des Cygnes: Tempo Di Valse/Moderato Assai - Moto Più Mosso/Tempo Di Valse/All

Disc 2:

1. Act 2 - No. 14, Scène
2. Act 3 - No. 15, Scène
3. Act 3 - No. 16, Danse Du Corps De Ballet Et Des Nains
4. Act 3 - No. 17, La Sortie Des Invités Et La Valse
5. Act 3 - No. 18, Scène
6. Act 3 - No. 19, Pas De Six: Intrada - Variation I/Variation II/Variation III/Variation IV/Variation
7. Act 3 - Appending I: Pas De Deux: Introduction/Variation I/Variation II/Coda
8. Act 3 - No. 20, Danse Hongrois (Csárdás)
9. Act 3 - Appendix II: Danse Espagnole
10. Act 3 - No. 21, Danse Espagnole
11. Act 3 - No. 22, Danse Napolitaine
12. Act 3 - No. 23, Mazurka
13. Act 3 - No. 24, Scène
14. Act 4 - No. 25, Entr'acte
15. Act 4 - No. 26, Scène
16. Act 4 - No. 28, Scène
17. Act 4 - No. 29, Scène Finale

Disc 3:

1. Introduction
2. Prologue/Vorspiel: The Christening - No. 1, Marche
3. Prologue/Vorspiel: The Christening - No. 2, Scène Dansante
4. Prologue/Vorspiel: The Christening - No. 3, Pas De Six: Introduction/Adagio/Variation I/Variation I
5. Prologue/Vorspiel: The Christening - No. 4, Finale
6. Act 1: The Spell - No. 5, Scène
7. Act 1: The Spell - No. 6, Valse
8. Act 1: The Spell - No. 7, Scène
9. Act 1: The Spell - No. 8, Pas D'action: Adagio 'À La Rose'/Danse/Variation D'Aurore/Coda
10. Act 1: The Spell - No. 9, Finale
11. Act 2: The Spell - No. 10, Entr'acte Et Scène
12. Act 2: The Spell - No. 11, Colin-Maillard
13. Act 2: The Spell - No. 12, Scène: Scène/Danse Des Duchesses/Danse Des Baronnes/Danse Des Comtesses/
14. Act 2: The Spell - No. 13, Farandole: Scène/Danse

Disc 4:

1. Act 2: The Spell - No. 14, Scène
2. Act 2: The Spell - No. 15, Pas D'action: Pas D'action/Variation D'Aurore/Coda
3. Act 2: The Spell - No. 16, Scène
4. Act 2: The Spell - No. 17, Panorama
5. Act 2: The Spell - No. 18, Entr'acte
6. Act 2: The Spell - No. 19, Entr'acte Et Scène
7. Act 2: The Spell - No. 20, Finale
8. Act 3: The Wedding - No. 21, Marche
9. Act 3: The Wedding - No. 22, Polacca
10. Act 3: The Wedding - No. 23, Pas De Quartre: Variation I/Variation II/Variation III/Variation IV/Co
11. Act 3: The Wedding - No. 24, Pas De Caractère
12. Act 3: The Wedding - No. 25, Pas De Quatre: Variation I/Variation II/Coda
13. Act 3: The Wedding - No. 26, Pas De Caractère: Chaperon Rouge Et Le Loup/Cendrillon Et Le Prince Fo
14. Act 3: The Wedding - No. 28, Pas De Deux: Entrée/Adagio/Variation I/Variation II/Coda
15. Act 3: The Wedding - No. 30, Finale Et Apothèose

Disc 5:

1. Minature Overture
2. Act I - No. 1, The Decoration Of The Christmas Tree
3. Act I - No. 2, March
4. Act I - No. 3, Children's Galop And Entry Of The Parents
5. Act I - No. 4, Arrival Of Drosselmayer
6. Act I - No. 5, Grandfather's Dance
7. Act I - No. 6, Scena (Clara And The Nutcracker)
8. Act I - No. 7, Scena (Balttle)
9. Act I - No. 8, Scena (In The Pine Forest)
10. Act I - No. 9, Waltz Of The Snowflakes

Disc 6:

1. Act 2 - No. 10, Scena (The Kingdom Of Sweets)
2. Act 2 - No. 11, Scena (Clara And The Prince)
3. Act 2 - No. 12, Divertissement: Chocolate (Spanish Dance)
4. Act 2 - No. 12, Divertissement: Coffee (Arabian Dance)
5. Act 2 - No. 12, Divertissement: Tea (Chinese Dance)
6. Act 2 - No. 12, Divertissement: Trepak (Russian Dance)
7. Act 2 - No. 12, Divertissement: Dance Of The Reed Pipes
8. Act 2 - No. 12, Divertissement: Mother Gigogne
9. Act 2 - No. 13, Watlz Of The Flowers
10. Act 2 - No. 14, Pas De Deux
11. Act 2 - No. 14, Pas De Deux: Variation I (Tarantella)
12. Act 2 - No. 14, Pas De Deux: Variation II (Dance Of The Sugar-Plum Fairy)
13. Act 2 - No. 15, Final Waltz And Apotheosis

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #144842 in Music
• Released on: 2002-08-05
• Number of discs: 6
• Format: Box set

Customer Reviews

Decent Performances, flawed packaging...
These are good performances of each of these great ballets. The performances could, however, be a bit more vibrant.

What really ruins this box set is the packaging. EMI bureaucrats decided that rather than running Sleeping Beauty over to a third disc (disc five, by the way, which plays for forty minutes) that they would cut two movements from this great ballet. Presumably these bureaucrats would also cut Joyce's Ulysses in order to bring the book in at the primo manuscript page length in order to keep costs down. Personally, I prefer to hear what the composer wrote in full, rather than what some bureaucrat or some conductor thinks is preferable cost wise or aesthetically.

Once again, boos and hisses to EMI who continually are doing such things (see my review of their Lehar, Merry Widow reissue).

Worth the Price
If you are looking for the three ballets Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty and Nutcraker in a single set, this is the best one out there. DO NOT repeat DO NOT buy Herbert Von Karajan's 60's recording with the Weiner Philharmonic under the cd label of Decca "Legends". That is the worst one. It has excerpts from the ballets rearranged for concert suites. This cd is far superior in that it has the entire ballets in 3 disks. Andre Previn is a marvelous conductor and the London Philharmonic is known the world over. The music of Tchaikovsky comes alive in a colorful and expressive fashion, although not as masterfully rendered as any of the ballets conducted under the baton of Antal Dorati. If you are looking for an individual recording of the Sleeping Beauty or the other ballets(full score in addition to divertissements and variations) get the recordings with Dorati conducting. But the music to these ballets are excellent. You wil love the Swan Lake's powerful main theme, the spell-casting music of the Sleeping Beauty (from the Introduction to the Apotheose) and the festive and lyric Nutcraker. This is the best ballets ever made and by the genius of the man known as Peter I. Tchaikovsky. Viva Tchaikovsky !

Excellent set
What a wonderful set! I am a fan of Tchaikovsky, particularly of the Nutcracker. This set contains all of the music, not just highlights, from these three ballets. But just as importantly, the sound quality is wonderful -- the music is very well performed. I've seen all three of these ballets performed at Lincoln Center, and am impressed by these CDs. The liner notes are quite informative as well.