Selecting a complete recording of this great score will depend on how you value ballet music. Do you want the sumptuous, leisurely approach favoured by a Karajan (largely undanceable), or a punchy, theatrical interpretation such as we got in 1954 from Antal Doráti on Mercury?  Or perhaps Richard Bonynge on Decca, which has both qualities?

Neeme Järvi is clearly on the dancer’s side and turns in a vigorous, no holds barred interpretation; all very exciting. The Bergen orchestra, whilst very good, is not a sumptuous ensemble, so a reading appropriate to style was also a good idea. Whilst the playing is good, it is not trouble free. The rambunctious coda to the Act One Pas de trois with its syncopated rhythm is difficult to get right. Here the Norwegians simply cannot pull it off. Listen to Doráti’s superb mono recording to hear how it’s done. Overall, I found this new recording satisfactory but not in the same league as the older versions. 

Chandos clearly believe we all know enough about the ballet not to have included any notes. Saves all that reading; I’m grateful. However, there are many who know little about the ballet’s origins, and would not know that after the composer’s death, Drigo, who conducted the successful revival, inserted some of his own music that remains in the score to this day. The wonderful score’s provenance has always been murky.