Minkus: Don Quixote

Leon (Ludwig) Minkus (1826-1917) Don Quixote (Ballet in Three Acts) performed by the Sofia National Orchestra conducted by Nayden Todorov. Recorded at the National Palace of Culture, Sofia, Bulgaria April 1-7, 2002. Austrian born Minkus settled in Russia where he established a long & successful career with choreographer Marius Petipa for whom Minkus wrote the music for more than fifteen ballets. "As one would expect from a ballet by Minkus, Don Quixote is full of lively dances and attractive melodies, all of it well crafted and colorfully orchestrated, if without the genius of Tchaikovsky and Delibes. That said, it makes for undemanding, entertaining listening, with it's dashes of Spanish coloring (the Spanish dances are especially attractive) and plenty of character dances, such as the Sailor's Dance in Act II, to enjoy. The performance is lively and sympathetic and the recording reasonably good (it lacks a certain richness) at the price, admirers of both light music and ballet should not hesitate: there is plenty to enjoy here."- Penguin Guide.