These two richly-filled CDs provide a perfect introduction to the joys of ballet music. Many of ballet's greatest hits and favourites are included: highlights from Swan Lake, Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, Coppélia, Romeo & Juliet, Giselle, Les Sylphides, Sylvia , Cinderella, La Fille mal gardée, Gayaneh (the soaring theme from the BBC TV drama The Onedin Line) and the charming Tales of Beatrix Potter; the complete ‘Dance of the Hours’ from the opera La Gioconda (made famous by Disney’s Fantasia), the can-can overture from Gaîté Parisienne and the sparkling opening dance from Pineapple Poll (set to the music of Sir Arthur Sullivan), two numbers from Façade, and The Dying Swan, so closely identified with the legendary ballerina Anna Pavlova. The impressive line-up of conductors includes Herbert von Karajan, André Previn, Sir Malcolm Sergeant and Sir Charles Mackerras.

Artists

Orchestre de l'Opéra National de Paris, Paul Tortelier (cello), Robert Johnston (harp), Philharmonia Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre de l'Opéra de Monte-Carlo, New Philharmonia Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, John Lanchbery, Jean-Baptiste Mari, Sir Malcolm Sargent, André Previn, Robert Irving, Herbert von Karajan, Manuel Rosenthal, Sir Charles Mackerras, Louis Frémaux, Yuri Temirkanov, Barry Wordsworth