Search - Eugene Ormandy :: Ballet Music

No bargain even at $7.99

MRS. ANNE DALY | ETOBICOKE, ONTARIO Canada | 10/21/2000

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Great orchestra and conductor come to nought in this reissue of ballet suites on Sony Classical.In Chopin's Les Sylphides the strings sometimes sound"edgy", the venue dry.The Sylvia and Coppelia suites sound better, however,the inexplicable remix in Syliva remids one of the adage "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker is listenable but commands no interest beyond other mainstream recordings."

Memorable ballet pieces by Philadelphia and Ormandy

03/13/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"CBS/Sony has served the music fan well by retaining these ballet pieces for the listener. These pieces are certainly up to the standards of musicianship and vitality that one expects from a 1960s Philadelphia/Ormandy performance. The Philadelphia strings bring out beautifully the shimmering details of the score. The lower end of the recording may not be as full as one would want. Nevertheless, the recording quality overall is great, with the fullness of the orchestral sounds brought out by the recording venue and good microphone placement.The only idiosyncracy of this recording is the manner in which Ormandy took the liberty to take the violins up one octave in the repeats of the Waltz of the Flowers. While it may be an over-indulgent use of the score, it is brought off well.Do not hestiate to add these recordings your collection. The recordings are a great value and they may not be around forever. It is only regretable that CBS never issued complete recordings of these classic ballet scores on compact disc. Other reference guides of classical music CDs share my enthusiastic praise for these performances."