Sofia National Opera Orchestra, Nayden Todorov - Minkus: Don Quixote (2004)

Tracklist

CD1
01. Don Quixote: Introduction
02. Don Quixote: Prologue: Allegro
03. Don Quixote: Prologue: Entrance of Don Quixote
04. Don Quixote: Prologue: Allegro assai
05. Don Quixote: Prologue: Sancho Panza, saved from his pursuers, is appointed Don Quixote's squire
06. Don Quixote: Act I: A square in Barcelona
07. Don Quixote: Act I: Quiteria (Kitri) enters
08. Don Quixote: Act I: Quiteria and Basilio
09. Don Quixote: Act I: Moreno
10. Don Quixote: Act I, Scene: Lorenzo, Quiteria and Basilio
11. Don Quixote: Act I: Camacho enters
12. Don Quixote: Act I: Seguidilla
13. Don Quixote: Act I: Street Dancer and Toreador
14. Don Quixote: Act I: Espada
15. Don Quixote: Act I: Moderato
16. Don Quixote: Act I: Scene of the Toreadors
17. Don Quixote: Act I: Street Dancer
18. Don Quixote: Act I: Coda
19. Don Quixote: Act I: Don Quixote and Sancho Panza
20. Don Quixote: Act I: Sancho and the Girls
21. Don Quixote: Act I: Their Friends
22. Don Quixote: Act I: Don Quixote invites Quiteria to a Minuet
23. Don Quixote: Act I: Basilio with Friends
24. Don Quixote: Act I: Quiteria's Variation
25. Don Quixote: Act I: Coda: Basilio and Quiteria make their escape
26. Don Quixote: Act II: Windmill
27. Don Quixote: Act II: Quiteria and Basilio
28. Don Quixote: Act II: Giga
29. Don Quixote: Act II: Carmencita

CD2
01. Don Quixote: Act II: Sola a gitana
02. Don Quixote: Act II: Spanish Dance
03. Don Quixote: Act II: Sailor's Dance
04. Don Quixote: Act II: Scene
05. Don Quixote: Act II: Coda
06. Don Quixote: Act II: Gypsy Dance I
07. Don Quixote: Act II: Gypsy Dance II
08. Don Quixote: Act II, Scene: Puppet Theatre, attacked by Don Quixote, who then attacks the windmill
09. Don Quixote: Act II: Don Quixote sleeps
10. Don Quixote: Act II: Allegro
11. Don Quixote: Act II: He dreams of Dulcinea
12. Don Quixote: Act II: Allegretto
13. Don Quixote: Act II: The Queen of the Dryads
14. Don Quixote: Act II: Amour
15. Don Quixote: Act II: Quiteria's Variation as Dulcinea
16. Don Quixote: Act II: Souvenir du bal
17. Don Quixote: Act II: Coda
18. Don Quixote: Act III: March
19. Don Quixote: Act III: Scene
20. Don Quixote: Act III: Amour
21. Don Quixote: Act III: Classical Variation I
22. Don Quixote: Act III: Flower Waltz
23. Don Quixote: Act III: Classical Variation II
24. Don Quixote: Act III: Entree
25. Don Quixote: Act III: Dryads' Variation
26. Don Quixote: Act III: Basilio's Variation
27. Don Quixote: Act III: Quiteria's Variation
28. Don Quixote: Act III: Quiteria's Variation (The Fan)
29. Don Quixote: Act III: Coda
30. Don Quixote: Act III: Finale: Spanish Dance



As one would expect from a ballet by Minkus, Don Quixote is full of lively dances and attractive melodies, all of it well crafted and colourfully orchestrated, if without the genius of Tchaikovsky and Delibes. That said, it makes for undemanding, entertaining listening, with its dashes of Spanish colouring (the Spanish dances are especially attractive) and plenty of character dances, such as the Sailor’s Dance in Act II, to enjoy. The performance is lively and sympathetic and the recording reasonably good (it lacks a certain richness)…At the price, admirers of both light music and ballet should not hesitate: there is plenty to enjoy here.

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