Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker [Highlights]

"The wealth of melodies contained in The Nutcracker, is all the more remarkable, as Simon Rattle suggests, for the depressive state of its composer...Rattle and the Berliner Philharmoniker enter fully into the spirit of things, infusing the classic "March" with a lovely toytown pomp. Delightful." The Independent, 29th October 2010 *****

"Beautifully played and recorded this sumptuously presented release will I'm sure be a runaway Christmas success."
(MusicWeb Dec 2010)

"Rattle and his musicians, playing the complete score, offer symphonic substance without sacrificing its special charm in a performance that sparkles like the Christmas tree from our fondest childhood memories. A locally released highlights disc is the perfect sampler."
(William Dart NZ Herald)

"Rattle seems happiest conducting the darker, more fantastical scenes of Act One. He certainly relishes the Drosselmeyer character...characterised with grotesque, brusque chords. Elsewhere the Miniature Overture, defying the acoustic, keeps bright and perky; while the Snow King and Queen's waltz almost reaches the succulent kiss of Richard Strauss." The Times, 5th November 2010 ***

"the playing of the Berlin Philharmonic is superb, the precision and articulation of the woodwind and of the first oboe, in particular, a delight; every detail is there, perfectly realised and balanced." The Guardian, 4th November 2010 ***

"This is a high-definition, low-camp midnight feast. The bravura sequence of dances in Confiturembourg has authentic fizz: the shrill Chinese Dance comes with a peppery underpinning of bassoons, while the celesta in Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy acquires an almost sinister glow" The Independent on Sunday, 15th November 2010

"The Berlin Philharmonic plays superbly, Rattle characterising the first act's scenario and its emotional fluxes with a sure hand and finding a deft touch for the dances in the second. This is a performance that really makes The Nutcracker come alive as a dramatic and musical entity" The Telegraph, 5th November 2010 *****