Joseph Levine and his Ballet Theatre Orchestra made a number of very good recordings for Capitol during the 1950's. I especially like his Billy the Kid Suite and Gould's Fall River Legend. Well, here is Maestro Levine leading extended excerpts from Swan Lake.
I think that the music is wonderfully realized by this small, but fine orchestra. In fact, the forces here are more in line with what you would expect while attending the ballet. Here, much detail is revealed and the winds are not overwhelmed by massed strings. Levine is wholly convincing.
Enjoy!
