Not even close. Maya Plisetskaya!
First, the instrumental playing is infinitely superior on the Plisetskaya. With the Proms it gets off to a rocky start from the very beginning. The solo flute players’s rhythm sucks; it’s all over the place. The bassoon sounds very weak and like some of the notes are in danger of not coming out. It doesn’t get much better all the way to the end. On the Plisetskaya the playing is first rate (I suspect it is the Bolshoi Ballet Orchestra). I’m sure there will be disagreement about which choreography better suits the music; but for me, in spite of the attempt by the Proms to Spanishize it, the Plisetskaya is the one.
First, the instrumental playing is infinitely superior on the Plisetskaya. With the Proms it gets off to a rocky start from the very beginning. The solo flute players’s rhythm sucks; it’s all over the place. The bassoon sounds very weak and like some of the notes are in danger of not coming out. It doesn’t get much better all the way to the end. On the Plisetskaya the playing is first rate (I suspect it is the Bolshoi Ballet Orchestra). I’m sure there will be disagreement about which choreography better suits the music; but for me, in spite of the attempt by the Proms to Spanishize it, the Plisetskaya is the one.