Schwanensee-Suite ∙ Dornröschen-Suite, Polonaise Aus »Eugen Onegin«

This release, catalogued as 136 036 SLPEM, was issued by Deutsche Grammophon in 1964, a period during which the label was aggressively expanding its international catalog by partnering with orchestras behind the Iron Curtain. This specific recording features the Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra—the Orkiestra Symfoniczna Filharmonii Narodowej—under the direction of Witold Rowicki. It reflects the label's mid-century effort to capture the quintessential Russian Romantic repertoire through the lens of emerging Eastern European ensembles.

The album compiles Tchaikovsky’s most evocative suites from Swan Lake and The Sleeping Beauty, paired with the Polonaise from Eugene Onegin. The production highlights the lush, atmospheric engineering associated with Deutsche Grammophon's stereo 'Tulip' era, aiming to compete with the high-fidelity standard set by Western labels. Upon its release, it was noted for the Warsaw ensemble's precise, disciplined approach to the score, which offered a slightly more austere and rhythmically taut interpretation compared to the more romanticized versions common in the repertoire at the time.