CRITIC’S CHOICE

Jessica Duchen

I’m enthralled by Vladimir Jurowski’s new recording of Swan Lake with the State Academic Symphony Orchestra of Russia ‘Evgeny Svetlanov’. This is Tchaikovsky’s original version (before Riccardo Drigo got his hands on it) – but actually the revelation is the performance itself. The playing is sleek, serious and streamlined, with a core of fire fulfilled in breathtaking dramatic climaxes, enhanced by magnificent recorded sound. The dark, impassioned score seems just half an inch from Wagner, reminding us that its inspirations include Lohengrin and that Prince Siegfried’s name is no coincidence.