André Previn & London Symphony Orchestra - Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake [3LP]

Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, complete and in full flight, comes to life in André Previn's celebrated 1976 recording with the London Symphony Orchestra, spread across three LPs.

Previn spent much of the 1970s as principal conductor of the LSO, and his recordings of Tchaikovsky's three great ballets became much-loved favourites with listeners for their warmth and theatrical sweep. Rather than the familiar suite, this is the full ballet score from the first scene to the last, with the celebrated violinist Ida Haendel taking the solos that weave through the love music.

The drama is all here. The "Danse des Cygnes" sequence of Act Two glides with grace and gentle melancholy, while the Act Three ballroom bursts into colour with the "Danse Espagnole," the "Danse Napolitaine" and a fiery Hungarian czardas. Previn keeps the pulse buoyant and the textures clear, letting the woodwinds sing and the brass blaze, and the "Scène Finale" builds to the tragic, overwhelming climax that has moved audiences for well over a century.

For anyone who knows Swan Lake only from its famous theme, hearing the whole score unfold side by side is a revelation. Across three records, all four acts get the room they need, and the orchestra sounds gloriously, thrillingly alive.