The Sleeping Beauty (The Complete Ballet)

"That Pletnev knows and loves this score was already obvious from his own piano arrangements of parts of it, and their recordings, and if ever proof was needed of the pianist's ability to transfer completely intact to the orchestra his own special brand of fantasy and superfine articulacy, this is it.

Hardly a minute passes without one's ear being enchanted by an affective gesture of the utmost precision, poise and sensitivity (all the various solos are superbly done); and significantly, the now-familiar Pletnev ideal of the tactfully and revealingly balanced tutti does not result in anticlimax, as it did in some of the symphonies.

If you need convincing, try the last ten minutes of Act 2 - a symphonic impression of the 100-year sleep, owing not a little to Wagner in its methods and to something of the magical workings of Tchaikovsky's own sea music for The Tempest - and ask yourself if you have ever heard it as atmospherically shaded; the subtle glints of Tchaikovsky's wonderful orchestration as well caught; or the transition from static contemplation, through the kiss, to genuinely joyful activity, as well-gauged. A very special combination of all the right choices made as regards dynamics, tempo and differentiation of mood and, like so much else in this performance, a scene whose potential I cannot recall having been as fully realized as it is here". (Gramophone.net)

"Pletnev's is a performance of individuality and high quality. It is a strongly narrative and dramatic account that has tenderness and much the same virtuosity that Pletnev exhibits at the keyboard. The articulation is pretty dazzling throughout and there is plenty of wit in the Act III Divertimenti. The recording is very good, wide in dynamic range and well-balanced." (Rosette Penguin Guide)