"We at WQXR don't encounter too many recordings by ballet orchestras...The oldest professional ballet company in America, [San Francisco Ballet] is also one of the first dance companies to have its own permanent body of musicians. The company has a new recording that pairs Léo Delibes’s Coppélia and Sylvia, shedding light on these vivid and tuneful ballet scores... Led by conductor Martin West, the San Franciscans brings out its many colorful gestures, such as the alto saxophone solo in the Act III barcarolle (Delibes was one of the first composers to write for the alto sax)...There is no profundity here, only the enchanting melodies and rhythms of the dance..."
Labels: Delibes, San Francisco Ballet Orchestra, Sylvia and Coppelia, WQXR