Antal Dorati, London SO - Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker (1962) [2005 SACD]

Dorati himself recorded the complete Nutcracker no less than three times. The first was the world premiere on record, in mono with the Minneapolis orchestra in 1953 for Mercury; and finally in 1975, with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, a beautifully burnished performance gloriously recorded by the Philips engineers in the Concertgebouw Hall. ( This recording sounds very well in its latest CD incarnation in the Philips 50th anniversary series.) This was no accident, for Dorati had been appointed director of the Russian ballet of Monte Carlo in 1933, and in 1941 of the American Ballet Theater.
Whether this implies his recordings are 'balletic' is another matter. Hearing this work in a ballet performance is rather different, for the conductors here are understandably keener to emphasise the first beat in the bar for the benefit of the dancers. Moreover, the divertissement of character dances in Act 2, from which the bulk of the 'Nutcracker Suite' is traditionally sourced, comprise a hotch-potch of tempi, depending on the proclivities of the solo dancers.
In a nutshell, this Mercury performance is the fleetest and most 'symphonic' Nutcracker rendition I've heard. There are relatively few repeats in the dances, so comparison timings are rather more reliable than is often the case. Dorati here clocks in at about 79 minutes, whereas most complete performances, such as his Concertgebouw one, are in the mid-80s. The second fastest is Gergiev's 1998 recording on Philips 462114 with the Maryinsky Orchestra, which zipped through in 81 minutes. Incidentally, this Philips recording is appealing as sound, recorded on customised valve equipment. It is one of the most analogue sounding digital recordings from the Universal stable, although the bloom on the strings was rather constricted from the vagaries of the recording venue. However, the timbral distinctiveness which marked, say, Mravinsky's pre-1978 Leningrad PO ( many of this orchestra's best musicians emigrated to Israel and the USA when the opportunity arose ) has dissipated in favour of the all-round homogenised competence which marks the top tier orchestras in the age of globalisation...

Tracks:

Disc 1
01. Overture 03:05
02. Act I Tableau I - Decorating and Lighting the Tree 03:47
03. - March 02:15
04. - Dance Scene - Galop and Dance of the Parents 02:14
05. - Scene - Presents for the Children 05:06
06. - Scene and the Grandfather Dance 05:45
07. - Scene - The Guests Depart - Children Go to Bed - The Spell Begins 05:53
08. - The Nutcracker Battles the Army of the Mouse King 02:58
09. Act I Tableau II - Journey through the Snow 03:31
10. - Waltz of the Snowflakes 06:23

Disc 2
01. Act II - Scene - Arrival in Fairyland 04:09
02. - Festival in Honor of the Children and Prince Charming 04:34
03. Act II - Character Dances - Chocolate (Spanish Dance) 01:07
04. - Coffee (Arabian Dance) 02:44
05. - Tea (Chinese Dance) 00:58
06. - Russian Dance (Trepak) 01:02
07. - Dance of the Toy Flutes 02:12
08. - Dance of the Clowns 02:55
09. Act II - Waltz of the Flowers 06:04
10. Act II - Dances of the Sugar Plum Fairy & Prince Charming - Pas de Deux 04:10
11. - Dance of Prince Charming 00:38
12. - Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy 02:04
13. - Coda 01:19
14. Act II - Waltz Finale and... 03:18
15. Act II - Apotheosis 01:37
16. Streicherserenade C-dur op. 48 - Andante non troppo - Allegro moderato 10:44
17. - Walzer (Moderato - Tempo di Valse) 03:52
18. - Elegie (Larghetto elegianco) 08:00
19. - Finale (Tema Russo - Andante - Allegro con spirito) 07:29