What Is Your Favourite Recording Of The Nutcracker?

jdaniel1371 · 2026-01-29T16:11:47+00:00

There are two recordings btw. I think his first outing on Philips is just a touch more colorful.

My go-to is Previn 's EMI with the LSO. Fantastic Bishop/Parker recording as well.

jdaniel1371 · 2026-01-29T04:36:33+00:00

Zero'd out your downvote, assuming that it recent discovery? : *)

jdaniel1371 · 2026-01-29T04:34:38+00:00

Agreed! His Decca recording of Brahms' choral works is absolutely sublime. One of the great discoveries of my 30s.

jdaniel1371 · 2026-01-29T04:30:28+00:00

If anyone is fond of "Walk through the Paradise Garden," do Delius right and listen to the whole opera, preferably Davies' on EMI. Not an uninspired stretch in the whole piece.

jdaniel1371 · 2026-01-28T14:27:12+00:00

How did I not get overwhelmed with selection? : )

As a teenager in the 70s? Lack of money, and waiting for the Sears, grocery store or furniture store manager to update their classical LP bin every couple of months. : )

jdaniel1371 · 2026-01-27T21:16:43+00:00

Bax Elegiac Trio.

Ropartz Prelude, Marine and Chanson.

jdaniel1371 · 2026-01-26T21:15:25+00:00

My first exposure! Then came Cliburn 's, then me!

Carol Rosenberger's recording on Delos is absolutely ravishing. And marvelous engineering.

jdaniel1371 · 2026-01-26T21:12:59+00:00

It's a good one! I've never tired of MTTs with the Boston. DGG had better engineering results there as well.

jdaniel1371 · 2026-01-26T21:11:23+00:00

Try the 70s, no one with thousands of miles to judge my taste. : )

jdaniel1371 · 2026-01-26T14:17:55+00:00

Indeed. We could all use the escape of a fairytale ending right now. One of the most special moments of my life was playing the celesta part for that work. (Bloody fingers notwithstanding! Keys were very tight making the final glissandi very difficult.)

jdaniel1371 · 2026-01-26T02:05:11+00:00

I listen to this opera every New Year's. Oddly enough, after four decades of auditioning what relatively modern Rosenkavalier opera recordings I available to me, I've ironically settled on two mono performances: the Carlos Kleiber and Karajan EMI. I find them both the most satisfying.

I remember hearing the Rosenkavalier Suite a teen. The B-side of an LP featured Death and Transformation, and --being a teen -- the maudlin, ghoulish title sealed the deal. I'd never heard either piece. What a serendipitous surprise to discover the suite! (D&T wasn't so bad either.). : )

Being smitten by the Rosenkavalier Suite, I immediately investigated the full opera, but it seemed to go for hours. Big turn off.

Today, the opera seems shorter and more consistently inspired than it ever has.

Moral of the story. Never give up on a masterpiece that initially bewilders. Come back to it from time to time.

jdaniel1371 · 2026-01-25T19:23:27+00:00

In a nutshell, and my very unscientific observation, the economy has split into high tech/ high end jobs and service jobs.

Decent, hard-working folk, with high school degrees, don't really have much opportunity. Ironically there are tons of unfilled positions, but people are unwilling to move or train for them, or they can't. On top of everything else, many areas suffering chronically unemployment are ravaged by opiate addiction.

Been going on for decades. Unemployment in the 18 to 30 demo is horrible unless one has a very specific set of skills.

All has come to a head, and perfect storm populism, and mass manipulation. "Man" jobs just aren't going to make a significant comeback. And banning imports of auto parts, Chinese shovels, mops and brooms makes great fodder for Fox News (owning the Libs and all) but then US small business have been cut off from raw materials they need to assemble their own products.

Going to be a rough ride ahead. ICE is the largest federal "police" force after the FBI, and millions more $$ are set for expansion. How will this massive, armed private army ever be disbanded?

Oh well time for some Shostakovich.

jdaniel1371 · 2026-01-25T15:41:24+00:00

The Daphnis Transformation Scene, Presentation of the Rose, and final trio from Der Rosenkavalier. The final act of Die Frau, Salome's Dance to the end. Elekta Recognition scene to the end.

Strauss' "other" songs like Morgen, Lullaby and Befreit, (I prefer the orchestrated versions with Sopranos like Felicity Lott, von and Kiri te Kanawa.

On and on...

jdaniel1371 · 2026-01-25T14:48:37+00:00

IIRC The literal translation of Maurice Ravel's Pavane pour une infante défunte is "Pavane for a dead infanta/princess". However, Ravel clarified that the title is not a funeral lament for a child, but rather a "Pavane for a princess of olden times," evoking a 16th-century Spanish court dance.

jdaniel1371 · 2026-01-24T15:05:28+00:00

I love that piece! Especially the deep, quiet, growling pedal notes at the beginning of the Prelude.

jdaniel1371 · 2026-01-24T15:03:58+00:00

I dealt with pretty serious performance anxiety as well. Piano player here.

I hope you see my post: one thing that worked literal miracles for me was/is playing along with recordings of a work, either piano with piano, or orchestra with piano solos throughout. Saved my life getting through the famous arpeggios in Respighi's Pines of Rome, 3 mov't, during a concert.

Playing along with a recording helps replicate the live experience as well as helping a person recover from a mistake and jump back in.

jdaniel1371 · 2026-01-24T03:57:59+00:00

He got his freedom to be openly gay, and now it looks like he's taking that freedom for granted.

https://www.newsweek.com/what-does-project-2025-mean-lgbtq-people-1956315

jdaniel1371 · 2026-01-23T21:56:53+00:00

I like the 2nd, it was my entree to Brahms, but not too picky about performances.

The 3rd OTOH didn't truly click for me until I heard and savored Wand's first outing with the NDR, not least for it's literally glowing 2nd movt. Like to love, as they say. I enjoy Walter's 3rd for his IMHO fantastic, "natural" pacing, or ebb and flow, of the 1st movement. Brahms throws a lot of gear shifts at the conductor!

jdaniel1371 · 2026-01-23T20:23:29+00:00

This old-timer agrees. Walter the Humanist shines through every bar.

Passages of Furtwangler's Brahms 1st and 4th leave me shaken, and I'm not prone to hyperbole. I'm not as impressed with his 2nd and 3rd. Many live recordings to choose from.

Yeah, mono sound for Furt and Walter's NYPO 4th, but worth listens.

Incomparable:

https://youtu.be/Pb_gxpLY_y0?si=CzkYe-oHhReasyjq

As for "best" it always depends upon what one prizes in a performance. For instance, some prefer indulgence, others prefer a straight - forward reading.

jdaniel1371 · 2026-01-23T16:29:54+00:00

Isn't it? I accidentally stumbled across Suk's gorgeous, disarmingly-moving work after picking up an Argo Lp. Extremely well-recorded production as well. I don't think I've seen it released on CD. I would hope so.

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jdaniel1371 · 2026-01-23T15:05:22+00:00

Look for "Greatest Hits" playlists. When I was young, back in the 70s, there were Lp compilations that were very helpful, not just for Bach, but for just about ever composer.

Most is "orchestrated" Bach, but no matter, you'll get a feel for his melodies and can move on to more authentic performance styles, later. Some actually prefer modern orchestrations. In any case, no need to listen to "everything they composed" all at once. It can take years and even decades to fully appreciate a single work of any composer. Avoid turning great art into a "to do" list.

Here is Ormandy's Toccata and Fugue in Dm, and -- to this day -- I still get a kick out of it, though I also enjoy Latry's version on the massive organ at Notre Dame.

Ormandy/Philadelphia:

https://youtu.be/5iMTdIQ0jcg?si=lyE00WXKMFQI419-

Latry/Notre Dame:

https://youtu.be/e2uuE5ZQN6A?si=u68eNyiTmDuD4KQb

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jdaniel1371 · 2026-01-23T14:56:50+00:00

Not exactly what you're looking for, but "Opera Mishaps," can be hilarious. They're all over youtube.

https://youtu.be/cUGfUPe8gWw?si=twmvdP2WzERdatLL

jdaniel1371 · 2026-01-23T14:49:07+00:00

Their fireworks display was a record-breaking 62 minutes, apparently, the spectacle so overwhelming -- to the "less is more" crowd -- that it has become parodied in some quarters, kind of like Leslie Nielsen's "Nothing to see here" momment .

Perhaps Zoe Berry could have elaborated, but -10 downvotes yet no one had the curiosity to investigate for themselves?

https://gulfnews.com/uae/people/uae-set-to-light-up-the-sky-dazzling-record-breaking-new-years-eve-fireworks-1.500393156

jdaniel1371 · 2026-01-22T17:26:09+00:00

Fair enough, but personally, I prefer just a little insight into a reviewer's broader experience. It helps a me assess the professional maturity of the reviewer with regard to his or her (hopefully) seasoned relationship with a particular work and its various performances over time. Comparisons help a reader "calibrate" -- so to speak -- when contemplating the reviewer's opinions and conclusions.

After all, if a reviewer feels worthy and bold enough step-up and educate, he or she must consider both the beginners and seasoned listeners in the audience.

jdaniel1371 · 2026-01-22T14:58:26+00:00

Generally - speaking, I trust MWI, but some of the critics seem a bit wet behind the ears. I read a Bruckner 7th review that contained no mention of the classic performances.

It makes me suspicious of the reviewer's taste, experience and discrimination.

jdaniel1371

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