Although the music
on this CD is largely familiar, with
this conductor you can be sure that
it will not necessarily sound that way.
In almost every piece there are moments
which sound wholly new or at least unlike
what you expect at that point. I am
not against freedom of interpretation
and even some rewriting of the music
in principle, and often conductorial
changes illuminate the music and intensify
its inherent character. Unfortunately
this is by no means always the case,
and the annoyance that this causes in
at least this listener is magnified
on repetition. By that time the novelty
has worn off and what may have had the
merit of seeming fresh or at least intriguing
- even if wrong - the first time is
unlikely to do so thereafter.
In the Dance of the
Sugar Plum Fairy in the Nutcracker Suite,
for example, the exaggerated tenuto
on the bass clarinet and later clarinet’s
first notes, followed by an undignified
slither go way beyond what is either
meaningful or acceptable. On the other
hand the changes to the percussion parts
in most other movements of the Suite
do help to point rhythms and phrases,
as do the changes to the harp part in
the Waltz of the Flowers. The rhythmic
freedom within phrases in that movement
are also a pleasure to hear, as is the
violin’s portamento in the Arabian Dance.
Overall I regard the Suite as a success,
although I am strongly tempted to omit
the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy when
I listen again.
The Debussy is also
strongly characterized, and sounds much
more like a close relation to the music
of Rimsky-Korsakov than usual. Indeed
the piece as a whole seems more exotic
than erotic here. The brief extracts
from "Giselle" are also worth
hearing, but the coarse orchestrations
and rhythmic distortions in the Chopin
appear far from stylish. Partly this
may be due to a recording which shows
its age, sounding aggressive and uncomfortable.
I am not sure whether the curious sound
of the flute at the start of the Debussy
is a recording fault or a very unusual
vibrato. It improves later, so that
it may be the latter although it is
unlike other recordings that I have
heard of the otherwise very fine first
flute, John Wummer.
These are very much
concert performances, and I could not
recommend this disc to those who simply
want a disc of ballet highlights in
general to remind them of visits to
the ballet. Clearly devotees of the
conductor will want to have it. Others
may well enjoy much of it, and are certainly
unlikely to find it dull, but be warned
that expletives may come to their lips
at any time as a result of the conductor’s
eccentricities.
John Sheppard
see also review
by Jonathan Woolf
for details
Leopold Stokowski and his Symphony
Orchestra 
