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I cannot help but look at this gorgeous album cover - its secretive suited Nutcracker, flamboyantly prancing mice and golden log fire roaring up the chimney, casting sinister shadows on the panelled floor - and think of Christmas.
Though Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker has been recorded many times, this new disc from the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra is a welcome addition to the catalogue. It is near impossible to bring a new slant to such a popular, frequently played work, but the orchestra's reading, if not the most visceral, is fresh and engrossing from start to finish.
Though the release is named Favorite Selections, the vast majority of the ballet is present, nearly 75 minutes in fact. One omission is the Act One battle sequence, a vital passage which could and should surely have been included. But what we do have is given commendable treatment. The Overture, a sometimes seemingly overcooked number, is light and sprightly, bustling with excitement and anticipation, flecked with the bristling woodwind and tints of triangle.
The orchestra, under Erich Kunzel's experienced baton, have a notably wide dramatic range. The First Tableau's party and dance music is sumptuously played, the noble tempi and luxurious string tone successfully evoking the lavish yet cosy living room. As the Magic Spell Begins, Tchaikovsky's music captivatingly moves from the human to the mystical world. Kunzel paces scrupulously here, allowing the low string and woodwind passages to hang suspiciously before the magical arrival of fluttering flutes and glistening harp glissandi.
In the Second Tableau, Kunzel is careful not to sentimentalise the score. The Journey through the snow is achingly beautiful because the melodic arches are not stretched too wide. Likewise, the Waltz of the Snowflakes is taken at a firmly brisk tempo, though here the woodwind could be a tad more biting for their spiky writing to really stand out. The Cincinnati Children's Choir sing their minimal part gracefully, though intonation at the top can be fractionally uncertain. In Act Two, the Divertissement effectively contrast one another and never outstay their welcome (the Arabian Dance, performed live, can sometimes lose the audience's attention, but here it is a model of dramatic pacing). The Chinese Dance is a particular pleasure, as Kunzel comically emphasises the incongruity between the top and bottom, between legato and pizzicato.
There is something exotically beautiful and enticing about the orchestra's ensemble timbre throughout. The brass, especially the superb trumpets, play with the utmost technical security and passion. The engineers have gifted the release with a crystal clear and powerful CD transfer, the percussion interjecting with deep resonance. Turn the volume up and sit back; this is a disc to treasure.
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