Minkus / Todorov / Sofia Nat'L Opera Orch Don Quixote CD

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.

1. Introduction 2. Allegro 3. Entrance of Don Quixote 4. Allegro Assai 5. Sancho Panza, Saved from His Pursuers, Is Appointed Don Quixote's Squire 6. A Square in Barcelona 7. Quiteria (Kitri) Enters 8. Quiteria and Basilio 9. Moreno 10. Scene: Lorenzo, Quiteria and Basilio 11. Camacho Enters 12. Seguidilla 13. Street Dancer and Toreador 14. Espada 15. Moderato 16. Scene of the Toreador 17. Street Dancer 18. Coda 19. Don Quixote and Sancho Panza 20. Sancho and the Girls 21. Their Friends 22. Don Quixote Invites Quiteria to a Minuet 23. Basilio with Friends 24. Quiteria's Variation 25. Coda: Basilio and Quiteria Make Their Escape 26. Windmill 27. Quiteria and Basilio 28. Giga 29. Carmencita 30. Sola a Gitana 31. Spanish Dance 32. Sailor's Dance 33. Scene 34. Coda 35. Gypsy Dance I 36. Gypsy Dance II 37. Scene: Puppet Theatre, Attacked By Don Quixote, Who Then Attacks the Windmill 38. Don Quixote Sleeps 39. Allegro 40. He Dreams of Dulcinea 41. Allegretto 42. The Queen of the Dryads 43. Amour 44. Quiteria's Variation As Dulcinea 45. Souvenir Du Bal 46. Coda 47. March 48. Scene 49. Amour 50. Classical Variation I 51. Flower Waltz 52. Classical Variation II 53. Entree 54. Dryads' Variation 55. Basilio's Variation 56. Quiteria's Variation 57. Quiteria's Variation (The Fan) 58. Coda 59. Finale: Spanish Dance