This is a lively and characterful Swan Lake from Neeme Järvi and the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra. As with their recording of The Sleeping Beauty (1/13), the team is joined again by the inestimable violinist James Ehnes in the company of other sterling players from the Bergen ensemble. Cornet player Gary Peterson employs a subtle touch of chiaroscuro in his nuanced reading of the Neopolitan Dance, lending a dapper air to this street tune. There’s a fine contribution too from Robert de Maine on cello, who duets with James Ehnes in the Pas d’action, the heart of the ballet, where Ehnes seems to embody Prince Siegfried, his playing by turns tender, poised and athletic. Simply heavenly doesn’t seem an out of place phrase to describe the chamber-like intimacy conveyed here.

In the earlier Csardas from Act 1 Ehnes plays the cadenza-style figuration with breathtaking aplomb, the slow (lassù) section from the heart. The famous Act 1 Waltz offers charming wind counterpoint, a burnished trumpet contribution which goes with an irresistible lilt under Järvi, who makes a point of underlining the contrast between forte and piano here and elsewhere when a phrase is repeated. Wolfgang, the tutor of the Prince, crashes to the ground with an almighty sforzando chord as drink gets the better of him; and in the Dance of the Court Dwarves the bassoon bobs up in the accompaniment in mischievous fashion. The Bergen wind section get a chance to shine in Järvi’s affectionate portrait of the six princesses, the Pas de six, each one individually portrayed in the scoring. In the dashing coda Järvi and his orchestra unleash extraordinary energy, as in the Polonaise and opening music to Act 3. Finally, the major-key statement of the swan theme, where Siegfried and Odette embrace, brings a powerful and noble conclusion.

Aside from a hectic tempo for the Mazurka in the divertissement of national dances, Järvi’s reading doesn’t stray far from tradition in a score for which Tchaikovsky left no metronome markings. The Bergen Philharmonic savour the colour and contour of the dances and have been caught by the Chandos team in a recording that has bite and presence. Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece in dance is presented in a compelling manner to please all the senses. A very fine swan indeed.