The Oboe instrument from the Woodwinds Section of the Vienna Symphonic Library (VSL) in Kontakt (.nki) format.

In the 18 years Simon Rattle spent as music director of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, a composer he conspicuously avoided was Tchaikovsky. In Berlin, the symphonies still seem to be beyond the pale, but at least Rattle has now broken his Tchaikovsky duck with this complete account of what is perhaps the most popular of all ballet scores. On one level, this performance of The Nutcracker is remarkable – the playing of the Berlin Philharmonic is superb, the precision and articulation of the woodwind and of the first oboe, in particular, a delight; every detail is there, perfectly realised and balanced. What it lacks, though, is any sense of affection for the music, any recognition of its warmth or charm. The fairytale world of the ballet is viewed with strange detachment, lacking any sense of childlike wonder or fantasy; for all its technical perfection, it's impossible to imagine anyone dancing to this performance, either on stage or listening to it at home.