Tchaikovsky The Nutcracker Suite From The Ballet is performed by the Philharmonia Orchestra and conducted by the well-known Efrem Kurtz. Kurtz was a familiar name with the Philharmonia to the record collector of the 1950s and he embarked upon a series of Tchaikovsky ballet recordings with the Philharmonia Orchestra for EMI in 1958. A tall imposing figure, so tall, in fact, that he often dispensed with a podium, Efrem Kurtz was a distinguished Russian conductor, who had studied with Glazunov and Tcherepnin and was a pupil of Arthur Nikisch. Kurtz had a broad symphonic and operatic repertory and conducted the premieres of works by Copland, Barber, Walton, Hindemith, Stravinsky, Shostakovich and Khachaturian. But he was most highly regarded for his interpretations of Russian music. HIQ has already released "Swan Lake" and the release "The Sleeping Beauty" is in preparation. Of this Nutcracker In the original review in The Gramophone of November 1958, R.F. remarked: "The orchestral quality is superb, and the dynamic contrasts tremendous. If you can hear the opening pizzicato notes of the Sugar-Plum Fairy, the end of the Valse des Fleurs will have your neighbours banging on the wall in desperation." Mastered from the original Master Tapes from the Abbey Road Studios this extended resolution CD (XRCD24) from JVC brings the listener higher fidelity and improved audio quality by enhancing the process of mastering and manufacturing compact discs. This XRCD24 is compatible with all CD players.