Nutcracker, Jack!

The Sir Charles Mackerras/ London Symphony Orchestra version of the complete Nutcracker ballet, which was also the soundtrack for the Nutcracker film (featuring sets and costumes designed by Maurice Sendak -- and if I understand correctly, is the same design used by Pacific Northwest Ballet, and coincidentally is being retired after this season). Phew! Long enough sentence or what? Anyway, found this (yet again) in Value Village, and it's a fine version. I prefer the performance by my go-to guy lately for All Things Russian, Valery Gergiev, but his version (to fit on 1 CD) omits the repeat of "Grandfather's Dance", and that's a deal-breaker for me. It's one of my favorite parts of the score!

This double LP was the first (and best) version of the complete ballet that I heard when I was in high school. I knew the Nutcracker Suite, but had never heard the whole thing until I found it at the library. And once again, it's a Russian version, this time by the Bolshoi Theater Orchestra conducted by Gennady Rozhdestvensky. So it's my touchstone version that I compare with other versions. The LSO version mentioned at the beginning is good (with digital cannons!), but I'd snap up the analog-era Bolshoi version in a heartbeat if it ever got reissued (my poor cassette copy is pretty worn out.) And if you've never heard the complete score, you owe it to yourself -- it's jam-packed with great melodies and superb orchestration.

Beecham Conducts Handel and a Bit About Copyright

I'm listening to this CD as I write this, but my laptop has no idea what it is. My guess is a CD of recordings made between 1929 and 1940 hath slipped the surly bonds of copyright (and a lot of recordings from Europe have become public domain).

I first heard this on CBC, I think. The piece was "The Gods Go A-Begging", attributed to Handel, and I was totally unfamiliar with it. Turns out it's a medley of various Handel works stitched together by Beecham for a ballet performance. Due to the age of these performances, the recording quality leaves something to be desired, and this is certainly not how Handel is performed today, but it's these "flaws" that I enjoy so much. It sounds like the soundtrack to an old black & white film about kings, queens and palace intrigue.   

The photo above is from Christopher DeLaurenti's website, and it's a deconstruction of his CD "Favorite Intermissions" (due to unauthorized use of copyrighted material ?  Like maybe the graphic design that looks suspiciously like a real classical record label). Same with the CD content itself; it's the only classical "bootleg" I own. Why? Because it was recorded surreptitiously during --- you guessed it --- intermissions, as the orchestra tuned up and quickly practiced bits from the piece about to be performed (after the intermission). It's fascinating! Amongst the tuning up bits, you can hear a violinist run through part of a line from Beethoven as the trombone player practices another bit. I know it sounds like it'd be noise, but it's more like hearing fractured splinters of Beethoven, or Stravinsky, or Holst. Probably the most unique -- yet simplest CD I've heard.