A Winner in a Crowded Field
07/10/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Every label, every orchestra, every conductor has at least one Nutcracker out there - they sell, so they pay the bills. Most of them are fine, and many are superb. This is a superb one; Ormandy with the Philadelpia Orchestra in what was originally a Columbia Masterworks release produced by Thomas Frost. I prefer this to the later RCA recording for both sound and musicianship. I like the lusher, fuller string sound and the solid unrushed approach here. However, it does contain the most rowdy version of Madam Bonbonierre I've ever heard-it's uptempo and amusing. If you want a Nutcracker recording with all the best excerpts included, well-produced and well-played, there are still many to choose from; but this one always sounds to me like there was just a little magic included, as well. It sparkles a little more than some others, and seems to have that mythic dimension of delight that the entire season is supposed to be about."