Tchaikovsky: Nutcracker: Favourite selections

Hybrid/SACD - playable on all compact disc players.

Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra record selections from Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker for the GRAMMY Award-winning Telarc label. This family favorite is guaranteed to appeal to all ages!

The recording includes all the picturesque favorites from the popular Nutcracker ballet, including "Clara and the Prince," the Spanish, Arabian, Russian and Chinese dances, "Waltz of the Flowers," "Dance of the Prince and the Sugar Plum Fairy," and the lilting Pas de deux from Acts I and II. Also included are scenes from the Act I First and Second Tableau such as "The Christmas Tree," March, "Children's Galop and Arrival of the Guests," "Magic Spell Begins," and "Waltz of the Snowflakes" (with the Cincinnati Children's Choir directed by Robyn Lana).

In a remarkable 42-year association in Cincinnati, Erich Kunzel's accomplishments are almost too numerous to list. Maestro Kunzel's credits include an unprecedented catalog of 83 Pops recordings on the Telarc label; four consecutive years as Billboard Magazine's Classical Crossover Artist of the Year; eight nationally televised Pops specials on PBS; and national and international appearances with the Pops including 10 Carnegie Hall concerts, two tours to Taiwan, three tours to Japan and a historic tour to China. In December 2006 Kunzel received the National Medal Arts at a White House ceremony with President Bush. The 2007-08 season celebrates the 50th anniversary of his professional debut.