RECORDINGS

“The 2nd Act is magnificent, better than ‘Tristan,’ ” Frederick Ashton wrote to Hans Werner Henze about the music for a new ballet the British choreographer was making for Margot Fonteyn in 1958. An exaggeration, of course, but there has been no way to know how big a one unless you happened to be at the Royal Ballet production 40 years ago. Now, thanks to Knussen, who has made it a cause to rescue abandoned ballet scores (we owe him big time for reviving Britten’s “Prince and the Pagodas”), it’s easy to sympathize with Ashton’s initial enthusiasm. Henze produced a major score drenched in sinfully decadent Mediterranean lushness but also bursting with Expressionist vigor. This is not yet Henze the rabid revolutionary, but it is the brilliant music of an irrepressible showman. Knussen’s performance couldn’t be more persuasive (or the wild, jazzy piano divertissement more splendidly done up than by Donohoe), and DG’s presentation and recording quality are deluxe. But one glitch: the German label is not formally distributing the two-disc set on our shores; it’s available only as an import, at a premium price. It’s worth it.

Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent).