Track Listing

1. Hamlet Op.67a Overture and Incidental Music
2. Hamlet Op.67a Overture and Incidental Music
3. Hamlet Op.67a Overture and Incidental Music
4. Hamlet Op.67a Overture and Incidental Music
5. Hamlet Op.67a Overture and Incidental Music
6. Hamlet Op.67a Overture and Incidental Music
7. Hamlet Op.67a Overture and Incidental Music
8. Hamlet Op.67a Overture and Incidental Music
9. Hamlet Op.67a Overture and Incidental Music
10. Hamlet Op.67a Overture and Incidental Music
11. Hamlet Op.67a Overture and Incidental Music
12. Hamlet Op.67a Overture and Incidental Music
13. Hamlet Op.67a Overture and Incidental Music
14. Hamlet Op.67a Overture and Incidental Music
15. Hamlet Op.67a Overture and Incidental Music
16. Hamlet Op.67a Overture and Incidental Music
17. Hamlet Op.67a Overture and Incidental Music
18. Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #75214 in Music
• Released on: 2008-10-28
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Hybrid SACD, SACD
• Dimensions: .23 pounds
• Running time: 60 minutes

Review
CD of the Month, March 2009 This superlative issue could only be bettered in one respect - inclusion of the revised version of the Romeo & Juliet overture so we could enjoy a greater length of listening! The music to Hamlet (both the overture and incidental music) takes up over two-thirds of the playing time (nearly 45 minutes) and is as complete as one could reasonably wish. The only omission from the published score is that of number 14, a Marche Funebre, although this is nearly identical music as the Entr'acte of number 12 so we're not really missing much except a slightly different second time bar near the end of the first section of the piece. The playing makes one realise that much of this music is on a par with that of Tchaikovsky's great ballet scores and deserves a far more regular spot in the repertoire. One aspect of the notes that saddens me is the omission of the solo woodwind players (particularly the oboe and bassoon principals) who deserve a special credit for their simply delightful phrasing and sense of musicality. Not that they are alone, for the rest of the orchestra is inspired by Jurowski into loving playing of beautiful music; Tatiana Monogarova and Maxim Mikhailov make the most of their small contributions towards the end of the collection. The Romeo and Juliet "Fantasy Overture" of 1869 (instead of the usual revised version we hear almost exclusively nowadays) is a weaker work than the more famous re-working but in Jurowski's hands one is almost convinced otherwise. The playing is so precise, delicate and powerful by turns that one is almost agog at the standard of musicianship on display and the ear yearns for the more famous version to follow from the same forces (indeed, on this evidence, as much Tchaikovsky as their schedule allows). The standards set by Pentatone are once again raised for themselves for this marks a new level of clarity that they have achieved from the DZZ Studio 5 for the RNO. The subtlety and impact of the percussion is tangible and one can almost "see" the seating of the string sections, so clear is the delineation. Bravo - an essential disc for all lovers of Tchaikovsky's music. Performance 5 Stars , Sonics (MC) 5 Stars --Gramophone Magazine