German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche once said that he liked the music of Leo Delibes because the French composer made “no pretensions to depth.
Well, maybe--but without Delibes’ ballet scores for Sylvia and Coppelia, we would not have Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, or The Nutcracker. And that was a debt that Tchaikovsky himself was happy to admit.
In this hour, the impact of Delibes on ballet music in general, and Tchaikovsky’s, in particular.
FEATURED RECORDINGS
| CD Title | Group/Artist | Catalog # | UPC |
| Delibes: Sylvia | National Philharmonic Orchestra, Richard Bonynge | Decca 425-475-2 | 028942547520 |
| Delibes: Giselle | London Symphony Orchestra, Michael Tilson Thomas | Sony SK 42450 | 074644245028 |
| Delibes: Coppelia, La Source | Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, Andrew Mogrelia | Naxos 8.553356-57 | 0730099435628 |
| Delibes: Coppelia | National Philharmonic Orchestra, Richard Bonynge | Decca 414 502-2 | 028941450227 |
| Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake/Sleeping Beauty | Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Charles Mackerras. | Telarc CD-80151 | 089408015120 |
| Tchaikovsky: Sleeping Beauty, etc. | Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra, Ondrej Lenard | Naxos 8.550079 | 7300099507929 |
| Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker | St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Leonard Slatkin. | RCA RCD2-7005 | 078635700527 |
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