Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake" in its original 1877 version

[adriano]

This is now available on the Pentatone label, but in the booklet there is no detailed comparison of this and the latter official "Petipa version".
Vladimir Jurowski conducts the State Academic Symphony Orchestra of Russia "Evgeny Svetlanov". Will listen it these days and come back later. It's a live recording of a concert performance, so we do not have any trampling noises...
Looking at all this autum's new CD issues, one could not think that this medium is going to die...

[Alan Howe]

What differences are there between this and the familiar version, Adriano? Any new music? Changes in orchestration?

[adriano]

That is what I am missing of being mentioned in the booklet, they just say vague things. Will listen and compare with my old score and then I post again!

Useful "preparing info" can already be found here:
http://en.tchaikovsky-research.net/pages/Swan_Lake#Recordings

I don't know (yet) this recorded version:
https://www.amazon.com/Tchaikovsky-Swan-Lake-Complete/dp/B000003MRK

[Alan Howe]

I'm pretty ignorant when it comes to Tchaikovsky's ballet scores. I have Previn's recordings, but that's it.

[adriano]

... with Previn you have one of best! But I love all three versions (of all three ballets) I have: Previn, Bonynge and Svetlanov, so I am pretty curious about Jurowski. Not only I was disappointed by his London set of Tchaikovsky Symphonies, but lately (in Zurich) also by his conducting of Schreker's "Die Gezeichneten": he gave a macho-like, loud and unsensitive interpretation. My friend Christopher Hailey came over to Zurich to see and we felt frustrated. And they made 30 minutes of cuts - and really awkward and clumsy ones! Already the Prelude was cut! The staging was silly and disrespectful...
Incidentally, Hailey's great Schreker biography is now available in a German translation. Hope they will do soon a paperback reprint of the English original.

[adriano]

In my personal opinion, I find this recording, announced as the "1877 world premiere version" questionable:
I don't see any differences from the published score of 1956 (Tchaikovsky, complete works, volumes 11A and 11B), which was used by Jurowski's Russian predecessors Fayer, Rozhdestvensky and Svetlanov – and by the non-Russians Bonynge and Previn  – just to mention those who had realized careful complete recordings. And all the number's sequel is the same too.
In the introductory notes of the booklet, Jurowski quotes what we all know (since ages) about "Swan Lake's" péripéties, from the première to the later productions staged by Petipa and others – but this does not explain why the he version recorded would be the 1877 premier version. It's just the score we all already know.
Jurowski also says that he performed this work in concert (the recordings were done in 2017 and 2018), using original tempi and not considering tempi adaptations for ballet conditions, as if he would make a great discovery. All previous recordings were studio recordings, ignoring such "live conditions". Then he says that at last it needed a better studio recording since the previous Russian productions had "problematic studio conditions" – Nonsense: those "old" recordings are excellently balanced, and this even the first complete (mono) recording by Fayer! Last but not least the Maestro considers this score as important, because it's a "great symphonic score". Does he mean that because it can be played it in complete in concert? Otherwise we have a more simple explanation: it's written for a symphony orchestra! But in any case, there is no "symphonic" build-up, even if we can hear are a couple of leitmotifs – it still remains a typical "number" ballet à la Délibes & Co.; which does not mean that it is a secondary, but a very valuable piece ("Coppélia" is from 1870, "Sylvia" from 1876 – and they also are very valuable pieces!).
Jurowski's and his orchestra's performance are excellent and the recording is in DSD Super Audio – that's the only thing which makes this disc a sort of "premiere version". To me, all remaining blabla stinks like a commercial hoax. So let's remain curious about what professional reviewers will find out!

[TerraEpon]

Looking at the blurb it doesn't seem they are claiming any sort of premiere, just that the 1895 version is the one "most well known", which is likely true as far as what is preformed in the theater. On recordings almost everyone uses the original version (I've only ever come across one recording of the 1895 one and it's VERY different, enough that it's pretty obvious....I believe it even only has three acts instead of four)

[adriano]

Correct, TerraEpon, forgive me. Next year I will be 75, are these already early signs of dementia?  :-)
I misunderstood the mentioning of ,,1877 world premiere version" as a "world premier recording of the 1877 original version". But who knows exactly, if in 1877 all the numbers were really performed... And previous recordings were not in need to mention this like a sensation...

[TerraEpon]

Eh, well considering you've worked for record companies I'd hope you'd know by know their marketing tricks. I'd rather something like this over, say, calling something 'complete' when it isn't.

[adriano]

Thanks, TerraEpon :-)
I just see that Jurowski has also recorded (a complete) "Sleeping Beauty" on IcA Classics.
Amazon sells it for 14 Euros!
But I think I stop continuing buying him, after all it's no revelation. Those previous Fayer, Svetlanov, Rojdesvensky, Previn and Bonynge versions (which I all have) are so beautiful!
Incidentally, Jurowski's complete Tchaikovsky Symphonies with the LPO, although splendidly played, were no revelation either...