Ballett-Suiten 2 / Dornröschen · Schwansee = Sleeping Beauty · Swan Lake

This 2015 release by Deutsche Grammophon compiles selections from Tchaikovsky's most iconic ballets, Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake. These recordings, featuring the Berliner Philharmoniker conducted by Mstislav Rostropovich, draw from sessions originally captured in the late 1970s. Rostropovich, while primarily celebrated as a virtuoso cellist, brought a deeply lyrical and emotionally expressive approach to his conducting, aiming to highlight the dramatic storytelling inherent in Tchaikovsky’s scores.

The album reflects a classic period for the Deutsche Grammophon label, which was renowned for its high-fidelity engineering and the prestige of its collaborations with the Berlin Philharmonic. By pairing these specific suites, the production serves as an accessible gateway to the Russian romantic tradition, showcasing the orchestra's precision and warmth. Upon its release and throughout the original recording's lifespan, this interpretation was widely praised for its lush orchestration and the conductor's profound sensitivity to the balletic movement of the music.