Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. The Sleeping Beauty, ballet, Op. 66: Introduction
2. The Sleeping Beauty, ballet, Op. 66: Prologue: The Christening. No. 1
3. The Sleeping Beauty, ballet, Op. 66: Prologue: The Christening. No. 2. Scène dansante
4. The Sleeping Beauty, ballet, Op. 66: Prologue: The Christening. No. 3: 1. Introduction ... 2. Adagio ... 3. Variation 1 ... 4. Variat
5. The Sleeping Beauty, ballet, Op. 66: Prologue: The Christening. No. 4. Finale
6. The Sleeping Beauty, ballet, Op. 66: Act 1: The Spell. No. 5. Scene
7. The Sleeping Beauty, ballet, Op. 66: Act 1: The Spell. No. 6. Valse
8. The Sleeping Beauty, ballet, Op. 66: Act 1: The Spell. No. 7. Scène
9. The Sleeping Beauty, ballet, Op. 66: Act 1: The Spell. No. 8. Pas d'action
10. The Sleeping Beauty, ballet, Op. 66: Act 1: The Spell. No. 9. Finale
11. The Sleeping Beauty, ballet, Op. 66: Act 2: The Vision. No. 10. Entr'acte et Scène
12. The Sleeping Beauty, ballet, Op. 66: Act 2: The Vision. No. 11. Colin-maillard
13. The Sleeping Beauty, ballet, Op. 66: Act 2: The Vision. No. 12. Scène: 1. Scène ... 2. Danse des duchesses ... 3. Danse des baronnes
14. The Sleeping Beauty, ballet, Op. 66: Act 2: The Vision. No. 13. Farandole: 1. Scène ... 2. Danse

Disc 2:

1. The Sleeping Beauty, ballet, Op. 66: Act 2: The Vision. No. 14. Scène
2. The Sleeping Beauty, ballet, Op. 66: Act 2: The Vision. No. 15. Pas d'action: 1. Pas d'action ... 2. Variation d'Aurore ... 3. Coda
3. The Sleeping Beauty, ballet, Op. 66: Act 2: The Vision. No. 16. Scène
4. The Sleeping Beauty, ballet, Op. 66: Act 2: The Vision. No. 17. Panorama
5. The Sleeping Beauty, ballet, Op. 66: Act 2: The Vision. No. 18. Entr'acte
6. The Sleeping Beauty, ballet, Op. 66: Act 2: The Vision. No. 19. Entr'acte symhonique et Scène
7. The Sleeping Beauty, ballet, Op. 66: Act 2: The Vision. No. 20. Finale (Le Reveil)
8. The Sleeping Beauty, ballet, Op. 66: Act 3: The Wedding. No. 21. Marche
9. The Sleeping Beauty, ballet, Op. 66: Act 3: The Wedding. No. 22. Polacca
10. The Sleeping Beauty, ballet, Op. 66: Act 3: The Wedding. No. 23. Pas de quatre: 1. Pas de quatre ... 2. Variation 1 ... 3. Variation
11. The Sleeping Beauty, ballet, Op. 66: Act 3: The Wedding. No. 24. Pas de caractère
12. The Sleeping Beauty, ballet, Op. 66: Act 3: The Wedding. No. 25. Pas de quatre: 1. Pas de quatre ... 2. Variation 1 ... 3. Variation
13. The Sleeping Beauty, ballet, Op. 66: Act 3: The Wedding. No. 26. Pas de caractère: 1. Chaperon rouge et le loup ... 2. Cendrillon et
14. The Sleeping Beauty, ballet, Op. 66: Act 3: The Wedding. No. 28. Pas de deux: 1. Pas de deux ... 2. Entrée ... 3. Adagio ... 4. Varia
15. The Sleeping Beauty, ballet, Op. 66: Act 3: The Wedding. No. 30. Finale et Apothéose

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #13991 in Music
• Released on: 2004-08-10
• Number of discs: 2
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Dimensions: .25 pounds

Customer Reviews

An outstanding recording of a genuine masterpiece, at a bargain price
Tchaikovsky's music for the ballet The Sleeping Beauty is not only one of the greatest ballet scores ever written -- possibly the greatest ballet score -- it is also one of the greatest pieces of music in any genre ever written. It may well be Tchaikovsk's greatest composition. From beginning to end The Sleeping Beauty is filled with a continuous stream of beautiful, richly orchestrated music. Although beloved when presented on stage as a ballet, it can be listened to and enjoyed as a beautiful four act symphonic poem even by people who are not interested in ballet.

This is the finest performance of The Sleeping Beauty which I have ever heard. Only the outstanding performance by Richard Bonynge approaches this one. But fine as Bonynge's performance is, this version by Previn is even better. If you love classical music, especially music from the Romantic period -- whether you are a ballet fan or not -- please get this outstanding recording of this masterpiece while it is still available. The bargain price is an extra bonus.

Excellent Sleeping Beauty
Tchaikovsky's three ballets are my three favorite classical compositions of all time. Previn does an excellent job with Sleeping Beauty (Op. 66). The highlights are Scene 1, Scene 5, Scene 20, Scene 21, and of course, the finale. The sound is loud, strong, and emotional.

The only problem is that in the booklet, the scenes are labeled incorrectly and that the scenes are not divided up as they usually are, so some of the tracks are really long.

Sleeping Beauty, sleeping conductor
Andre Previn went through a very good period as conductor of the LSO in the Seventies, and he held up gracefully when people realized (and complained) that he wasn't, as advertized, the next Leonard Bernstein. Innately a middle-of-the-road condcutor, Previn was rarely one for fire and passion--a rich sonority and mellifluous phrasing are more his style. He brings those qualities to this Sleeping Beauty. It's nice that EMI has released it from the box set of all three Tchaikovsky ballets, and there's nothing wrong with the playing or engineering.

But why is it so sleepy? Hardly a dance goes by that doesn't feel constrained; Previn never cuts loose. As a result, we get little feeling of joy or dramatic climax. Compare any five minutes of this reading with Gergiev's on Philips, and even though Previn's is better played and recorded, Gergiev's has inner life. I find life sorely lacking here despite the polished surface gleam.