Conductor Charles Dutoit was halfway through his 25-year tenure as music director of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra when this outstanding recording of Tchaikovsky’s ballet Swan Lake was made in 1992. More than most recordings, it focuses on the darkness and tragedy behind the story of Prince Siegfried and Odette, the beautiful swan-woman he falls in love with. The finale, where the couple perishes in a storm, is stirringly powerful in Dutoit’s interpretation. Earlier, in Act III, he gives the sequence of national character dances an infectious punch and swagger. But Dutoit also understands the yearning romanticism of Tchaikovsky’s music, and the famous duet for violin and cello in Act II’s Swan Dances is exquisitely expressive. The sound engineering is sumptuous, making this one of the most enjoyable versions of Swan Lake on record.