Tchaikovsky: Symphonies no 4, 5, & 6 / Karajan, Berlin PO

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
This moderately priced package gives you the best of Herbert von Karajan's Tchaikovsky performances, and when he was "on" with this composer, he was very impressive indeed. These are exceptionally well played, exciting, even noble versions of the composer's three most popular symphonies, and although Karajan recorded each of them four or five times, this least expensive edition is still the one to get. --David Hurwitz

Tchaikovsky: Symphonies no 4, 5, & 6 / Karajan, Berlin PO, Music, Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky, Herbert von Karajan, Berliner Philharmoniker, Classical, Classical Composers, Classical Music, Romantic Symphony, Symphonic

Average customer rating:

general cukee karajan and the pips!

As Mr. Welk used to say, "wonderful, wonderful."

Very good, but with some disappointments

Much too fastly played for a true Russian flavour.

The best recording of von Karajan

Tchaikovsky: Symphonies no 4, 5, & 6 / Karajan, Berlin PO

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

All Works by Tchaikovsky | Tchaikovsky, Peter Ilyich | ( T ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B000001GYJ
Release Date: 1997-07-15

Tracks:

Symphony No. 4 In F Minor, Op. 36: 1. Andante Sostenuto - Moderato Con Anima - Moderato Assai, Quasi Andante - Allegro Vivo
Symphony No. 4 In F Minor, Op. 36: 2. Andantino In Modo Di Canzone
Symphony No. 4 In F Minor, Op. 36: 3. Scherzo: Pizzicato Ostinato - Allegro
Symphony No. 4 In F Minor, Op. 36: 4. Finale: Allegro Con Fuoco
Symphony No. 5 In E Minor, Op. 64: 1. Andante - Allegro Con Anima
Symphony No. 5 In E Minor, Op. 64: 2. Andante Cantabile, Con Alcuna Licenza - Moderato Con Anima - Andante Mosso - Allegro Non Troppo - Tempo 1

Tracks:

Symphony No. 5 In E Minor, Op. 64: 3. Valse: Allegro Moderato
Symphony No. 5 In E Minor, Op. 64: 4. Finale: Andante Maestoso - Allegro Vivace - Molto Vivace - Moderato Assai e Molto Maestoso - Presto
Symphony No. 6 In B Minor, Op. 74 'Pathetique': 1. Adagio - Allegro Non Troppo - Andante - Moderato Mosso - Andante - Moderato Assai - Allegro Vivo - Andante Come Prima - Andante Mosso
Symphony No. 6 In B Minor, Op. 74 'Pathetique': 2. Allegro Con Grazia
Symphony No. 6 In B Minor, Op. 74 'Pathetique': 3. Allegro Molto Vivace
Symphony No. 6 In B Minor, Op. 74 'Pathetique': 4. Finale: Adagio Lamentoso - Andante

Amazon.com

This moderately priced package gives you the best of Herbert von Karajan's Tchaikovsky performances, and when he was "on" with this composer, he was very impressive indeed. These are exceptionally well played, exciting, even noble versions of the composer's three most popular symphonies, and although Karajan recorded each of them four or five times, this least expensive edition is still the one to get. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews:

general cukee karajan and the pips!.......2007-04-10

What can i say say karajan was just so over the top with tchaikovsky,in the ballet excerpts as well,to me his interpretation is to heavy handed,hard,cold but he does get good playing from the berlin philarmonic i think hes at his best with the 6th.overall i think its better than some other versions, i still think i prefure CHARLES DUTIOT AND EUGENE ORMANDY WITH THESE GREATEST OF SYMPHONYS,also the sound on these recordings from DG is poor if the sound was better i think it would have come out a little better.

As Mr. Welk used to say, "wonderful, wonderful.".......2007-03-06

I have symphonies 1 to 3 on vinyl and I bought from Amazon symphonies 4 to 6 about 4 or 5 months ago. These date from the mid 70s and I just viewed symphonies 4 to 6 on DVD via NETFLIX.

My very first classical lp was Ormandy & the Mormon Tab choir doing the 1812 overture with "Russian Church Bells" and canon. I have always loved Tchaikovsky. I have recently gotten into his solo piano music and if you have never you are really missing out--Chopin esque to say the least.

I love Beethoven for the thunder and the beauty, often at the same time. Tchaikovsky comes just about as close as anyone I have heard to matching Beethoven, though not as often. These cds are a royal trip. I went for about an hour walk the other day and had them in my mp3 player and rewound the 4th movement of symphony five 3 or 4 times! The percusion from the kettles and the brass really kick butt. Karajan brings out the beauty, the power, and the glory of Tchaikovsky. I enjoy the Abbado CSO complete symphonies, but Karajan easily tops them. Symphony 4 is almost as much fun to listen to as 5. The 3rd movement of symphony 4 features ALL of the STRING instruments being plucked, not bowed, throughout the movement and when that movement ends, the fourth movement starts with thundering power. Few can weave melodies like Tchaikovsky and few can bring down the house as he can. WOW!

These symphonies are superbly played and directed and the recording is top notch. The DVD's match them for sound, but I still favor the cd over the dvd except it is interesting to watch them performed.

This 2 fer set is a great value.

Very good, but with some disappointments.......2007-02-25

We're all familiar with the cliché about the opening of Beethoven's fifth being "fate knocking at the door." If this is true, then the opening of Tschaikovsky's fourth is "fate brought the whole SWAT team to kick the door in." The Berlin Philharmonic's gutsy brass are just perfect for this task, and prove it over and over in the course of the symphony. I would have to call the orchestra's rendition under von Karajan as "definitive" as any I've heard.
In the fifth symphony, I do have a beef with the clarinetist in the first movement. It's a simple part to play, and there's really only one big mistake you can make with it -- and this clarinetist makes it. It's fine in the soft passages, but above mezzo forte, it's overblown in the chalumeaux register to the point of distorting the timbre from clarinet into klaxon horn. That's not pleasing, and in fact, is sort of "junior high school." Other than that, though, the fifth symphony is as well-done as the fourth. Particularly pleasing are the swirling rises and falls of the lyric melodies, where von Karajan has the strings and woodwinds not just playing together, but emoting together.
It's in the sixth symphony that I'm most disappointed. In certain places in the first and fourth movements, I'm tempted to say out loud to the venerable Herr von Karajan, "Uh, Herb, don't you think that's a little fast? Like, you're taking the pathos out of the Pathetique, I think." Strangely, this seems to happen every time the main subject is a legato theme in the trombones -- so consistently that I speculate that the BPO might have a problem with short-winded trombonists.
In summation: I'm glad I own it, but there are many better recordings of the Pathetique, and better clarinetists for the fifth symphony.

Much too fastly played for a true Russian flavour........2006-05-24

The problem with Karajan is that late in his career, he seems to look for the inventive by doing some extreme things with the music he is well capable of conducting. Although these recordings of the 4-6 of the Tchaikovsky symphonies were done in the seventies, the greatly exaggerated tempi is one of those features of his style that will drive you mad as a Russian afficionado.

For the price this is going, I was convinced to have a good deal, only to be disappointed by the resultive playing. You wouldn't expect such a renowned conductor and orchestra slander through such well known classical pieces, but unfortunately, that's what you get here.

Therefore, I'd recommend taking either the Gergiev or Jansons for the 5th, while Pletnev for the 6th remains the best choice still. For the 4th, Jansons seems to be the best bet too.

But, please, do yourself a favour, and let this Russian master delight you in a better way than these recordings can offer you. You'll be thankful, I'm sure.

The best recording of von Karajan.......2006-05-08

I have always been thinking that Tchaikovsky exists between Hollywood movie composers and Broadway musical writers; after all he was a man who wrote Swan Lake, Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty.
To me his position was not on serious side of vast universe of classical music.

Not until I heard the Path?tique symphony recorded by Karajan today.

My younger brother and I were sitting with my parents in our living room watching Toshiba black & white TV set when Herbert von Karajan first visited Japan to conduct NHK Symphony Orchestra in 1950s.
They were playing Beethoven 5th, but I was too small, five or six years old then to appreciate the music.
However, I clearly remember the profound silence followed the last coda of symphony.
I suspect my mother was crying. That was how we found the German conductor.

In college, I listened to Furtwangler.
I thought Karajan was lightweight in comparison with his great predecessor.
Especially for Beethoven, his interpretations were too modern and international, sans German spirituality.

But this performance of Path?tique has changed my perception of Karajan entirely.
The energy and passion is incredible, it equals to that of Eroica symphony recorded by Furtwangler in 1944.

Simply amazing!

Average customer rating:

A great Fifth and Sixth, plus a fine Fourth
BEST 5TH THAT I'VE EVER HEARD
Elegant and exciting
Oh....so THIS is how these are supposed to sound!

Tchaikovsky: Symphonies 4,5 & 6

Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Prokofiev: The Complete Symphonies
Igor Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring / Alexander Scriabin: The Poem of Ecstasy - Valery Gergiev / Kirov Orchestra
Mussorsky: Pictures at an Exhibition, Night on the Bare Mountain
Prokofiev: The Five Piano Concertos
Shostakovich: Symphonies 4-9 "The War Symphonies"

ASIN: B000BGFNAK
Release Date: 2005-11-08

Tracks:

Andante Sostenuto - Moderato Con Anima - Moderato Assai, Quasi Andante - Allegro Vivo
Andantino In Modo Di Canzona
Scherzo. Pizzicato Ostinato - Allegro
Finale. Allegro Con Fuoco

Tracks:

Andate - Allegro Con Anima
Andante Cantabile, Con Alcuna Licenza - Moderato Con Anima
Valse. Allegro Moderato
Finale. Andante Maestoso - Allegro Vivace

Tracks:

Adagio - Allegro Non Troppo
Allegro Con Grazia
Allegro Molto Vivace
Finale. Adagio Lamentoso - Andante

Customer Reviews:

A great Fifth and Sixth, plus a fine Fourth.......2007-03-01

These live performances with the Vienna Phil. were real events, and Decca has caught them with all the vibrancy they deserve. The musicmaking reaches remarkably high standards--we aren't dropping in on anything like everyday subscription concerts. Gergiev brings out much detail in every score, and he applies individual touches in phrasing evrywhere. It takes that to create something new in these thrice-familiar works, and as a result he's achieved the best set of late Tchaikovsky in years.

But not all the readings are equal. The Fourth Sym. is a bit of a letdown, lacking the excitement and dynamism of the other two performances. It's certainly fine on its own but offers few new insights. At the other extreme, the Pathetique is stupendous, both in interpretation and recorded sound. Particularly in the hybrid SACD version, you hear amazing inner detail and real sweetness of tone, a rare thing in the digital era. The only aspect lacking is the last measure of tragedy in the finale. The Fifth is almost as good, a totally sincere reading without a shade of self-importance or exaggeration. It ranks with Mravinsky's classic DG recording as the best I've ever heard.

BEST 5TH THAT I'VE EVER HEARD.......2006-11-28

Tchaikovsky's 4th 5th and 6th (Pathetic) symphonies have been part of my listening experience for many, many years--both live and recorded. This recording with Valery Gergiev and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra is the best I've heard especially the fifth symphony in E minor, opus 64.

Gergiev leads a very passionate reading of these works fully exploiting their extreme dynamics The forceful climaxes are very thrilling indeed; however, they never turn harsh. Most of all, Tchaikovsky's gorgeous melodies are given prominence and are rendered beautifully--the most beautiful account that I have ever heard. Everything in this recording, to me is superb. I now see why Valery Gergiev is considered one of the world's leading conductors. This recording is sublime--I love it!

The sound of the recording, itself is fantastic! Decca has done a superb job of recording these symphonies especially my favorite, the 5th which is a live recording. It is monumental! The sound in all is fantastic. In all honesty, it's the best recorded sound that I've ever heard of these works.

If you want to hear Tchaikovsky's 4th 5th and 6th (Pathetic) symphonies played and conducted magnificently, buy this 3 disc set--it's wonderful!

Elegant and exciting.......2006-07-08

Everyone has a favorite symphony - or two or a dozen. But these probably are included in everyone's list. And, everyone has a favorite orchestra or conductor or both. I have at least ten but I didn't discover Maestro Geriev until I listened to his and the Kirov's "Nutcracker." It was so astonishingly beautiful I started my own Gergiev collection. What could be better than he and Tchaikovsky? Nothing that I can think of. What's different? It's hard not to get caught up and excited in these symphonies - no matter by which orchestra and no matter whose baton. But this one is markedly different. It's exciting, it's unrestrained but it's also elegant. It is so elegant that it has a beauty to it that I've not noticed in other performances. It's not to say the others are not good. It's to say Maestro Gergiev has a relationship with the orchestra that causes each musician to reflect Gergiev's emotions and understanding. Is it the way Tchaikovsky intended? Who knows? I can say with assurance, however, that once you listen to these performances you will return many times to be swept away once again.

Oh....so THIS is how these are supposed to sound!.......2006-03-28

I've known and loved these symphonies all my life (all six, actually, but No. 5 was the first LP I ever owned, so it's a sentimental fave) and I must have owned a dozen versions of each and had serious favorite interpretations among these, but this one has blown them all away. Gergiev is astounding, astonishing, surprising -- a true mater artist, shaping and forming these symphonies in ways I never thought possible. Imagine thinking you knew every bar of a work inside and out and then hearing these inner parts for the very first time, weaving in and out, and experiencing a whole new world of dynamics and phrasing. It was breathtaking.

I have never been one who believes that the only true or accurate interpretation of a country's music would be given by a person from that country, but it's hard not to believe that, if Gerviev wasn't Russian, he couldn't have done this amazing job. There's a certain confidence and brusque elan he brings to these scores that had my hair standing on end. The climaxes are truly that -- huge, serious, bombarding swells of sound -- and the quieter, slower sections don't lag or get rushed. They sound, simply, perfect, beautifully shaped and executed (by the Wiener Philharmoniker, who seem at one with this conductor -- they were made for each other).

So, if you're new to these pieces, I can think of no better way than to start with these. And even if you DO know them, you should treat yourself to this unexpected embarrassment of symphonic riches.

Average customer rating:

EXCITING PERFORMANCES VINTAGE STEREO SOUND BUT NOT SACD
Dorati's MLP Tchaikovsky Gems Are Back!

Tchaikovsky: Symphonies Nos. 1-6

Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B00035VV7I
Release Date: 2004-11-09

Customer Reviews:

EXCITING PERFORMANCES VINTAGE STEREO SOUND BUT NOT SACD.......2005-09-27

Despite whar Mr Richman says in his review below this five disc box set does NOT consist of hybrid SACD discs. They are all CDs - generously filled but still basic 16 bit discs. It may be that Mercury's parent company plans to release these discs singly as three channel SACDs but here you get the two channel mixes that originally appeared on LP and on the 1990s CD releases. It would have been great to hear them in three channel - Dorati's "Firebird" sounds magnificent on SACD - but this box is still a bargain. There's some low level hiss and the occasional tape clunk but these are small blemishes on some exciting late 50s and early 60s recordings that make most of today's offerings sound sterile and cautious. Dorati's Tchaikovsky is never winsome or self-pitying. As a masterly ballet conductor Dorati never ignores the lilt and sway of the composer's waltz-inspired lighter moments - but he and the orchestra (London Symphony and Minneapolis) really let rip for the exciting brass perorations. Try the finale of the "Little Russian" symphony, or "Francesca di Rimini", for some real sock-blowing sound! Even if you own other recordings of these popular works try to find a space on your shelf for Dorati and the inimitable Mercury sound.

Dorati's MLP Tchaikovsky Gems Are Back!.......2005-05-25

Those familiar with my reviews on Amazon know my great love for the Mercury Living Presence series. Equally great is my disgust that so many of these brilliant recordings have been deleted in the last few years! Thankfully, some of these legendary performances are resurfacing as SACD hybrids. Unfortunately, they are now being sold at full-price, despite a competing hybrid series on RCA/BMG being available at midline. In spite of the added expense, I hope this MLP reissue trend will continue, and maybe we'll even see a few items getting their CD debut.

This Tchaikovsky Symphony Cycle by the great Antal Dorati has always been one of my favorite MLP offerings. While a two-disc set of Symphonies 1-3 and a single title of the 4th continue to be available in their original CD incarnations, the CDs of Symphonies 5 & 6 have gone out-of-print recently. However, with this box set they are now deservedly restored to the catalog. Even better is the fact that the four 5CD box sets being reissued have been so reasonably priced. This Tchaikovsky set, and the ones of Dorati conducting Bartok, Paray conducting French music, and Hanson conducting a variety of American music, including his own compositions, have a total cost cheaper than the original single issue CDs! Once again, Mercury Living Presence lives!

Tchaikovsky: Symphonies Nos. 4, 5, 6 "Pathetique"

Average customer rating:

Towering Musical Masterpieces!
Passion --- passion.
There's a REASON why these are legendary recordings!
From the review in Gramophone
Only Russians can really do Russian!

Tchaikovsky: Symphonies Nos. 4, 5, 6 "Pathetique"

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B000001G8B
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

Symphony No. 4 In F Minor, Op. 36: 1. Andante sostenuto- Moderato con anima - Moderato assai, quasi Andante - Allegro vivo - P.I. Tchaikovsky
Symphony No. 4 In F Minor, Op. 36: 2. Andantino in modo di canzone - P.I. Tchaikovsky
Symphony No. 4 In F Minor, Op. 36: 3. Scherzo. Pizzicato ostinato. Allegro - P.I. Tchaikovsky
Symphony No. 4 In F Minor, Op. 36: 4. Finale. Allegro con fuoco - P.I. Tchaikovsky
Symphony No. 5 In E Minor, Op.64: 1. Andante - Allegro con anima - P.I. Tchaikovsky
Symphony No. 5 In E Minor, Op.64: 2. Andante cantabile, con alcuna licenza- Moderato con anima- Andante mosso- Allegro non troppo- Tempo I - P.I. Tchaikovsky

Tracks:

Symphony 5 In E Minor, Op. 64: 3. Valse. Allegro moderato - Tchaikovsky
Symphony 5 In E Minor, Op. 64: 4. Finale: Andante maetoso - Allegro vivace - Molto vivace - Moderato assai - Moderato assai e molto maestoso - Presto - Tchaikovsky
Symphony No. 6 In B Minor, Op. 74 'Pathetique': 1. Adagio--Allegro non troppo - Tchaikovsky
Symphony No. 6 In B Minor, Op. 74 'Pathetique': 2. Allegro con grazia - Tchaikovsky
Symphony No. 6 In B Minor, Op. 74 'Pathetique': 3. Allegro molto vivace - Tchaikovsky
Symphony No. 6 In B Minor, Op. 74 'Pathetique': 4. Finale: Adagio lamentoso - Tchaikovsky

Amazon.com essential recording

These recordings by Evgeny Mravinsky and his Leningrad Philharmonic, taped in the autumn of 1960 while they were on tour in London, are among the absolute classics of the catalog. They are readings of hair-raising intensity--the finale of the Fourth is marked allegro con fuoco, and if you want to know what con fuoco means, all you have to do is listen for a moment. No one else has ever had the nerve, or the ability, to play the music this way. The treatment is very Russian: the extremes are more extreme, the passions more feverish, the melancholy darker, the climaxes louder. In that department, the development section of the first movement of the Pathètique has to be heard to be believed. The sound is remarkably good for the time, a little edgy in the loudest pages but wonderfully present, just like the performances themselves. --Ted Libbey

Customer Reviews:

Towering Musical Masterpieces!.......2007-02-22

Of course, everyone knows that Tchaikovsly was a great musical genius. The Nutcracker and his other ballets are enough proof of that. But, he blessed us with THREE great symphonies. Besides the beautiful melodies in these symphonies, I would like to point out that these symphonies "tell a story"---each one of them. Tchikovsky called them "program symphonies". I will mention only the beginnign and end of the 6th symphony. On records the beginning and end seem "boring"----too faint in volumn and too "depressing". But, when I heard this symphony in person a few years a ago I reaslized that the beginning seems to represent "nothingness"....and the ending the same..."back to nothingness". So the symphony is about "a person's life"...coming from "death" or "non-existence" and returning, at the end, to the same. Then, the other parts are "the life" of the person with love, anger, fear, depicted often in beautiful melody and dramatic music. I hope the above gives the reader who may not know Tchakovsky's 6th an idea about "what it is about" and "why it is a great symphony".... Boland7214@aol.

Passion --- passion........2007-01-22

This is, In my humble opinion, the finest recording and performance of Tchaik 4 on record.

What is so great about this performance (T4) is that Mravinsky somehow gets this group to play like it's the last time they'll ever play their musical instruments. There's a passion - and a fervor - and a drive that they play with that is breath-taking. From the ROCKING horns at the symphony's open to the burning finale (which I think is the FASTEST on record), this is a wonderful recording.

Also - the fourth symphony offers some of the most technically accurate and clean performances of this stirring music.

Truth be told, this fifth symphony is probably the weakest of the three represented on this disc, but it still has its wonderful moments. I recommend Szell/Cleveland.

And finally the lush, romantic, beautiful, sweeping sixth symphony. Mravinsky and the Leningrad boys really play their hearts out on this one.

This CD is really for the musicians musician. Yes, at times, the brass get crass and a little strident - but the emotion and their will and commitment make up for the sometimes lack of tone-quality.

You will not be dissapointed, I promise.

It's worth the fourth!

There's a REASON why these are legendary recordings!.......2006-11-09

Just do yourself a favor and go down to your local library and check this recording out for yourself. THEN you will understand what all the fuss is about. Everyone of the Leningrad musicians played as if their hair was on fire. Maybe it's too over-the-top for you, but you won't be bored and you will never forget it.

The only reasons to consider other versions are the expense and I hate having the 5th split up on 2 separate disks. But otherwise, this is THE recording of these pieces to have (I also like Karajan).

From the review in Gramophone.......2006-08-16

"These stereo recordings are classics of the gramophone, landmarks not just of Tchaikovsky interpretation, but of recorded orchestral performances in general. The Leningrad Philharmonic play like a wild stallion, only just held in check by the willpower of its master. Every smallest movement is placed with fierce pride; at any moment it may break into such a frenzied gallop that you hardly know whether to feel exhilirated or terrified. The whipping up of excitement towards the fateful outbursts in Symphony No. 4 is astonishing---not just for the discipline of the stringendos themselves, but for the pull of psychological forces within them. Symphony No. 5 is also mercilessly driven and pre-echoes of Shostakovichian hysteria are particularly strong in the coda's knife-edge of triumph and despair. No less powerfully evoked is the stricken tragedy of the Pathetique.

"Are the gentler aspects of the music overshadowed by such unremitting intensity? Perhaps. But it was after all the composer himself who wrote, a propos No. 4, that 'One's whole life is just a perpetual traffic between the grimness of reality and one's fleeting dreams of happiness.' With one or two exceptions all Mravinsky's interpretative decisions are rigorously based on the score---they sound startling because of the sharpness of profile he gives them, and because of the extraordinary unanimity of the orchestral playing. Rarely, if ever, can the prodigious rhythmical inventiveness of these scores have been so brilliantly demonstrated. The fanatical discipline is not something one would want to see casually emulated---few orchestras would stand for it in any case---but it is applied in a way which sees far into the soul of the music and never violates its spirit.

"Strictly speaking there is no real comparison with the Chandos issues, despite the fact that Jansons has for long been Mravinsky's assistant in Leningrad. His approach is warmer, less detailed, more classical, and in its way very satisfying, although his fondness for softening dynamics prior to a crescendo is close to a mannerism. The Oslo woodwind are clearly more refined---the fruity Leningrad horn solos are legendary, and their tremulous oboe sounds as though under threat of an extended Siberian holiday for any cracked notes. But the strings are no match for the cold steel of Leningraders, and there would be no question, one feels, of a nasty slip like the tuba's misreading in the first movement development of No. 5 being passed by Mravinsky. DG's refurbishing has been most successful, enhancing the immediacy of sound so appropriate to the lacerating intensity of the interpretations."

Only Russians can really do Russian!.......2006-05-29

I find this recording to be the most exciting of Tchaikovksy's finest works. Me being only a twenty-something, my musical tastes forged from video game soundtracks and drug-induced punk rock, it's probably hard to take me seriously. But I have been obsessively collecting classical music for nearly 3 years now, referring to multiple recordings checked out from my university library, and I find my personal measure of the effectiveness of a recording to be it's dramatic and emotional intensity. This recording most definitely takes it. It commands my attention, capturing an intense rhythmic impulse and blossoming from this constant flow. I compare Mravinsky's drammatic command to any of Carlos Kleiber's glorious recordings. Those interested in clarity and precision, not friendly to the old über romantic emotional overflow, will not object either. I believe this recording to possess enough integrity and balance of detail to please those types as well. A high recommendation indeed.

Tchaikovsky: Complete Symphonies (1-6) [4 disc set]

Average customer rating:

Symphonies 1 and 2 are the best here
The best Tchaikovsky boxed set of the symphonies ever

Tchaikovsky: Complete Symphonies (1-6) [4 disc set]

Manufacturer: Polygram Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B000001GCR
Release Date: 1990-07-03

Tracks:

Symphonie No.1 g-moll op. 13 'Wintertraume': Traume einer Winterreise - Allegro tranquillo
Symphonie No.1 g-moll op. 13 'Wintertraume': Land der Ode, Land der Nebel
Symphonie No.1 g-moll op. 13 'Wintertraume': Scherzo. Allegro scherzando giocoso
Symphonie No.1 g-moll op. 13 'Wintertraume': Finale. Andante lugubre - Allegro moderato - allegro maestoso - Allegro vivo
Symphonie Nr. 2 c-moll op. 17 - Kleinrussische: Andante sostenuto - Allegro vivo
Symphonie Nr. 2 c-moll op. 17 - Kleinrussische: Andantino marziale, quasi moderato

Tracks:

Symphonie Nr. 2 c-moll op. 17 - Kleinrussische: Scherzo. Allegro molto vivace
Symphonie Nr. 2 c-moll op. 17 - Kleinrussische: Moderato assi - Allegro vivo
Symphonie Nr. 3 D-dur op.29 - Polnische: Introduzione e Allegro. Moderato assi
Symphonie Nr. 3 D-dur op.29 - Polnische: All tedesca. Allegro moderato e semplice
Symphonie Nr. 3 D-dur op.29 - Polnische: Andante elegiaco
Symphonie Nr. 3 D-dur op.29 - Polnische: Scherzo. Allegro vivo
Symphonie Nr. 3 D-dur op.29 - Polnische: Finale. Allegro con fuoco

Tracks:

Symphonie Nr. 4 f-moll op. 36: Andante sostenuto
Symphonie Nr. 4 f-moll op. 36: Andantino in modo di canzone
Symphonie Nr. 4 f-moll op. 36: Scherzo
Symphonie Nr. 4 f-moll op. 36: Finale
Symphonie Nr. 5 e-moll op 64: Andante
Andante cantabile

Tracks:

Symphonie Nr. 5 e-moll op. 64: Valse. Allegro Moderato
Symphonie Nr. 5 e-moll op. 64: Finale. Andante maestoso
Symphonie Nr. 6 h-moll op 74 - Pathetique: Adagio - Allegro non roppo - Andante - Moderato mosso
Symphonie Nr. 6 h-moll op 74 - Pathetique: Allegro con grazia
Symphonie Nr. 6 h-moll op 74 - Pathetique: Allegro molto vivace
Symphonie Nr. 6 h-moll op 74 - Pathetique: Finale. Adagio lamentoso - Andante

Customer Reviews:

Symphonies 1 and 2 are the best here.......2005-10-25

Herbert von Karajan (1908-1989) recorded almost everything in the standard orchestral repertoire once, many works two or three times, between his 1950s recordings for EMI with the Philharmonia Orchestra, the early 1960s for Decca with the Vienna Philharmonic, and his 1960s - 1989 recordings, mostly with the Berlin Philharmonic, for Deutsche Grammophon. In this collection of Tchaikovsky's 6 Symphonies, Karajan's only recordings of Symphonies 1, 2 and 3 are represented, dating from 1979 at the end of the analog era of recording technology, just before digital recordings became the norm. Symphonies 4, 5, and 6 date from 1976, and are analog sound, and Karajan's 2nd recording of these famous, oft recorded works for DG; he recorded Symphonies 4,5,6 in the mid 1960s with the Berlin Philharmonic, and again in the late 1980s for DG (with the Vienna Philharmonic). Karajan also recorded Symphonies 5 and 6 in Berlin for EMI in the 1970s. Whew! It gets confusing keeping track of all these recordings!

Karajan does best here with Symphonies 1 and 2. Symphony 1, "Winter Dreams" has tempos slightly slower than some conductors take, but things never drag, and the playing of the Berlin Philharmonic is so beautiful and expressive. Symphony 2, "Little Russian" also has slightly slower than average tempos, but is very well paced, and sounds very beautiful under Karajan's direction. III and IV are very well played, with appropriate spirit and fire.

Symphony 3, nicknamed "Polish" by Tchaikovsky's publisher (not the composer!) is really strange, as Karajan conducts some fast sections at slower than usual tempos, and the slow movements at faster than usual tempos. It borders on the bizarre. Worst of all is V, the "Polacca" movement which drags mercilessly in the coda, towards the end. Every other recording I've heard really hauls this final section at a hell-for-leather pace, but Karajan goes very slowly until the final section of the coda. This is the most mannered recording I've heard of Karajan, and the poorest recording I've heard of this least recorded symphony by Tchaikovsky, which I dearly love.

Symphony 4 is very well played, but cold, and clinical in it's execution. Symphonies 5 and 6 are well played, too, but competition here with other recordings is fierce, and there are some pizzicato (plucked string) passages in Symphony 5: II which are not together, and really spoil the feeling of continuity in this movement. Also, Symphony 5 is generally played legato to the extreme, and very slowly in parts which should move at a faster pace. I can't say why I don't like Karajan's later Tchaikovsky symphonies, I just don't and prefer other recordings.

The recorded sound is quite good throughout, but I wouldn't recommend this, for the reasons mentioned above.

If I were building a "dream collection" of Tchaikovsky Symphonies, I would recommend:

Symphony 1 "Winter dreams" - Michael Tilson Thomas/Boston Symphony (DG)

Symphony 2 "Little Russian" - Igor Markevitch/London Symphony (Philips Duo, with Symphonies 1 and 3)

Symphony 3, "Polish" - Antoni Wit/Polish national Radio Orchestra (Naxos)

Symphony 4 - Eugene Ormandy/Philadelphia Orchestra (Sony Essential Classics)

Symphony 5 - Seiji Ozawa/Berlin Philharmonic (DG Eloquence series)

Symphony 6 - Eugene Ormandy/Philadelphia Orchestra (Sony Essential Classics)

The best Tchaikovsky boxed set of the symphonies ever.......2005-07-25

I've heard many of the Tchaikovsky symphonies in the different stages of Karajan career, and you simply can't go wrong with this set that was recorded from the mid to late 70's. I think the 6th and 3rd symphonies, and probably the 5th, are just about the best that could ever be recorded. There might be a few that could come close to matching this set, but it's almost impossible to surpass these superb recordings. The 5th has very fine analog sound, and is very exciting indeed. The 6th is among the loveliest I've heard, and I've heard quite a few. The 4th movement of the 6th, is quite moving, and often has brought me to tears. The movement needs a desperate hysteria, unlike a lot of versions that I heard that are played very cool and detached. The 6th also has very good sound also. The 3rd is probably hands down the best ever recorded. The 1st, 2nd, and 4th are also among the best, but there a probably a few that are better. This is the first Tchaikovsky boxed set I ever purchased, and I would never think about letting go of this great one!!!

P.S. Mr.Majeska- Are you insane to say that this DG Tchaikovsky 6th is subpar in any way. I've heard tons and tons of Sixth's and this is the most incredible version I've ever heard, so I wonder very much about your taste in at least the last Tchaikovsky Symphony (The Pathetique). That finale movement is so amazing it's beyond words to be quite honest. Karajan's Polish Symphony also is above reproach also, so buy an ounce of taste. And Ozawa is a very poor choice for the 5th, also, I might add. Check out Gerard Schwartz for Tchaikovsky's 1st and 2nd Symphonies also because they blow away Tilson-Thomas. Good day!!!!

Average customer rating:

Abbado is better here than in Chicago
Still in the catalog because they are fine performances
Outstanding performances at an extraordinary price
In a field of modern stereo recordings, this is just okay.
Romantic Era Music At Its Best

Tchaikovsky: Symphonies Nos. 4, 5, 6

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Deutsche Grammophon: Music | Specialty Stores | Music
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Back to Black

ASIN: B000001GHU
Release Date: 1995-05-16

Tracks:

Symphonie No. 4 en Fa mineur, Op. 36: Andante sostenuto - moderato con anima - Moderato assai, quasi Andante - Allegro vivo
Symphonie No. 4 en Fa mineur, Op. 36: Andantino in modo di canzone
Symphonie No. 4 en Fa mineur, Op. 36: Scherzo, Pizzicato ostinado - Allegro
Symphonie No. 4 en Fa mineur, Op. 36: Finale, Allegro con fuoco
Symphonie No. 5 en Mi mineur, Op. 64 (debut): Andante - Allegro con anima
Symphonie No. 5 en Mi mineur, Op. 64 (debut): Andante cantabile, con alcuna licenza - Moderato con anima - Andante mosso - Allegro non troppo - Temp I

Tracks:

Symphonie No. 5 en Mi mineur, Op. 64 (fin): Valse, Allegro moderato
Symphonie No. 5 en Mi mineur, Op. 64 (fin): Finale, Andante maestoso - Allegro vivace - Moderato vivace Moderato assai e molto maestoso - Presto
Symphonie No. 6 en Si mineur 'Pathetique', Op. 74: Adagio - Alegro non troppo - Andante - Moderato mosso - Andante - Moderato assai - Allegro vivo - Andante come priam - andante mosso
Symphonie No. 6 en Si mineur 'Pathetique', Op. 74: Allegro con grazia
Symphonie No. 6 en Si mineur 'Pathetique', Op. 74: Allegro molto vivace
Finale: Adagio lamentoso - Andante

Customer Reviews:

Abbado is better here than in Chicago.......2005-11-12

Claudio Abbado (born 1933) recorded Tchaikovsky's Symphonies 2,4,5,and 6 for DG in the early 1970s, and in the mid-late 1980s recorded all 6 Tchaikovsky symphonies in Chicago for CBS (Sony Classical). Abbado's earlier recordings, made with the Vienna Philharmonic (Symphonies 4 and 6) and London Symphony (Symphony 5) are much better than the later Chicago remakes. The DG recordings are stereo analog sound, and very good, but a little weak in the bass: turning on the "Loudness" or adjusting the bass frequencies on your equalizer (if you have one) can correct that deficiency. The later CBS recordings are digital, likely the inspiration for Abbado to re-record these works in a new format.

These are all excellent recordings, although Abbado will not blow away the competition in any of them. They are well played and reflect Tchaikovsky's longing, pathos, and (especially in 6) depression and despair, but are not overwrought with emotion and angst as Bernstein is in his late 1980s DG recording of 6.
I tend to prefer Beecham (EMI) or Ormandy (Sony) in 4; Ozawa/Berlin (DG) or Wit (Naxos) in 5; and Giulini/Philharmonia (EMI) or Ormandy (Sony) in 6. But I will listen to Abbado on DG, returning to him again and again.

These are a good buy if you want Tchaikovsky 4-6 in one neat package and don't want "over the top", emotional readings. Good sound.

Still in the catalog because they are fine performances.......2005-02-28

I became very attached to these symphonies when I was a teenager and remember the shock I felt in my first music theory lab when the graduate teaching assistant asked us who are favorite composers were and he dismissed Tchaikovsky as "chromatic drivel". Yes, in 1972 the academic serialists were still in high power, but still, what kind of hearing must be going on to not appreciate the genius for melody, drama, and poetic balance that fills each movement of these great symphonies? Musical form has always been important to me, but not to the point that geometry trumps poetry.

It is true that Tchaikovsky himself was very insecure about his skills as a symphonist. If you judge his music making against the Classicists, he does seem quite profligate in the musical material he introduces in his works. However, against the Romantic Tone Poems of Liszt and his pals, Tchaikovsky seems more classic. In the final analysis, who really cares. This is great music. Has a more tragic music ever been written than the last movement of the sixth symphony?

So, what about these recordings? They are indeed about thirty years old and recording sound has improved greatly since the seventies. So, if you are an audiophile, and the lushness of sound is the overwhelming criterion by which you judge recordings, these won't do. However, they do sound pretty good. One simple question we can ask is this. Why are these in the catalog when so many other recordings from that time are gone? I think the answer is clear. These are very passionate, intelligent, and beautiful performances of these works and deserve to remain in the catalog. Abbado leads the Vienna Philharmonic masterfully and the orchestra responds with great ensemble playing and very beautiful solo work. The brass sounds especially terrific and that is important in these works.

You really can't go wrong adding this recording of these symphonies to your collection and the price for the two disks is very good. Enjoy! Enthusiastically recommended.

Outstanding performances at an extraordinary price.......2004-10-26

I want to begin by acknowledging that there are acoustically superior versions of these symphonies available. This is inevitable as recording technology improves each generation and even each decade. But sonic quality is only one criterion by which to judge a disc, and by that standard this two-fer from Deutsche Grammophon is truly one of the more remarkable bargains in the current classical catalog, and for two reasons. First, each of these performances conducted by Claudio Abbado is among the finest to have been recorded in recent decades. While granting that beauty is in the ear of the beholder, it is hard to imagine that anyone would find much or anything to criticism in the performers. One quality I especially appreciate about them is Abbado's refusal to engage in the quality that one of the reviewers behold complained of in Tchaikovsky: sentimentalism. "Sentimentality" is not an adjective that automatically applies to Tchaikovsky's music, though it is unquestionably found in some performances of it. But in the finer performances, such as the ones found here or in an old classic such as Leopold Stokowski's version of "Francesca da Rimini" Tchaikovsky is most assuredly not presented as a sentimentalist. On this disc, for instance, Abbado restrains the orchestra throughout the 4th Symphony until the Finale, but even then he refuses to "milk" the music. On the whole, I think it fairer to say that Tchaikovsky is more often prey for sentimentalists.

The second reason this is such a remarkable bargain is the exceptionally low price. To obtain three outstanding performances of three popular symphonies at such a low price is quite unusual. For those of us who have to build our collections on a budget, it is not possible to express too much gratitude for bargain discs this fine.

I would like to add, however, that audiophiles are unlikely to enjoy this disc. Audiophiles, I will admit, perplex me. Obviously it is nice to have good recordings, but some discs that can serve as demonstration discs contain rather indifferent performances. There are probably a hundred recordings of Beethoven's 9th Symphony that surpass Furtwangler's famed performance, but how many of those truly surpass his interpretation? Do we really want to abandon our old recordings by conductors such as Beecham, Bruno Walter, or Barbirolli just because they fail to measure up as recordings to more recent recordings? For me, at least, great music is more about the interpretation of the music by a great conductor than which recording more precisely reproduces woodwinds. On this criterion, this remains an exceptional achievement, and to other financially strapped, non-audiophiles, I wholeheartedly recommend this set.

In a field of modern stereo recordings, this is just okay........2003-08-28

This is not a bad budget issue to start one's Tchaikovsky collection with. There are, however, many stereo versions by Abbado's peers which have surpassed these 1972-76 recordings.

The weakest performance here is that of the Fifth Symphony. Adding injury to what is already a very dryly-performed second movement, Abbado's quirky accelerations and agogic treatment of the earliest bars are so very reminiscent of his treatment of Brahms' Hungarian Dances!!! While this approach is entirely appropriate for the Brahms, here it imbues an unwanted frivolity to Tchaikovsky's darkly emotional score. In the Fifth Symphony, Tchaikovsky expressed his anguish over his homosexuality, and the worst disservice a conductor can do him is marginalize the dark opening of the first movement, as Abbado has done. He should have played the bars straight(oops) and more directly.

The Pathetique with the Vienna Philharmonic fares better. Technically, there is not much to criticise here. On the emotional front though, Abbado's performance has less investiture of intensity than Maazel's splendid version with the same orchestra. Given the scratchy recording of the Abbado, its appeal wanes next to the Maazel.

The Fourth Symphony is the best performance here, revealing an unexpected feeling of "Russianness", and worth buying this double-disc set for alone. The dry sound recording again detracts hoever, it is unfortunately bass-light. Karajan's version with the Berlin Philharmoniker, recorded in the same decade and under the same label, has far more weight and lustre. The BPO's virtuosity also reveals more details in Tchaikovsky's score, especially in the first movement, details which go unnoticed by Abbado and the VPO.

Anyway, all in all, this Tchaikovsky set is still worthy of consideration however swamped it may be by the competition.

Romantic Era Music At Its Best.......2002-09-01

Tchaikovsky's last three symphonies epitomizes the creme de la creme of 19th century Romantic music. Romanticism focused on tragedy, human suffering, spirituality, triumph, death, fantasy, romance and escapism. With the exception of Hector Berlioz' Symphony Fantastique, Tchaikovsky's last three symphony hold the record for the greatest romantic symphonies. In his fourth, an ominous, powerful fate theme is heard in its opening. Tchaikovsky was affected by the fate theme heard in Bizet's opera Carmen, and made a shattering first movement full of dramatic intensity. Its second movement is a more romantic, peaceful, daydreamish orchestral piece that is sure to inspire any poet, artist or lover. The 4th's finale is the definition of triumph and celebration, which continues to the finale of his fifth, only to rest on a sadder note in the melancholic, wistful andante. The Pathetique symphony, performed after Tchaikovsky's death, was his last gift to mankind, a requiem for a romantic, full of agony, torture, passion, love and ultimately death. There is no triumph here, and only if you are strong enough to bear the suffering in the music's hidden notes can u truly understand the symphony. Tchaikovsky's life was his music, and when he went with it, his soul remained in the music we hear in such great recordings as this one. Although Abbado is masterful, you can be sure to expect the same genius in the conductor Antal Dorati, who dedicated his life to refining Tchaikovsky's music. Listen, enjoy, these symphonies are a testatment of mankind with all its pain and joy. I don't understand why they haven't used it in a film score, or perhaps, they already have.

Average customer rating:

Refined late Tchaikovsky from a maestro not always at his best
Your best bet for these three works
Markevitch, y las otras tres sinfonias...
Romantic Expression: Tchaikovsky's Best Symphonies
Etheral heights, plain price

Tchaikovsky: Symphonies Nos. 4-6

Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B00000416A
Release Date: 1993-08-10

Tracks:

Sym. No. 4: -. Andante sostenuto -- Moderato con anima
Sym. No. 4: II. Andantino in modo di canzona
Sym. No. 4: III. Scherzo -Allegro-
IV. Finale -Allegro con fuoco-
Sym. No. 5: -- I. Andante -- Allegro con anima
Sym. No. 5: II. Andante cantible, con alcuna licenza -- Moderato con anima

Tracks:

-Sym. No. 5-: III. Valse -Allegro moderato-
-Sym. No. 5-: IV. Finale -Andante maestoso -- Allegro vivace-
-Sym. No. 6-: I. Adagio -- Allegro non troppo
-Sym. No. 6-: II. Allegro con grazia
-Sym. No. 6-: III. Allegro molto vivace
-Sym. No. 6-: IV. Finale -Adagio lamentoso -- Andante-

Amazon.com

The last three symphonies remain for many listeners the ultimate expression of musical romanticism. Their gorgeous tunes, luscious orchestration, and huge emotional range tempt many interpreters to extremes of musical excess-- but not Igor Markevitch. These brilliantly played, exceptionally precise performances let the hysteria speak for itself, while focusing on the music's architectural strength. The results are uncommonly exciting, supple, and above all sensitive to the music's many beauties. Having withstood the test of time, and at two discs for the price of one, this might very well be a first choice for newcomers and collectors alike. Excellent recorded sound too. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews:

Refined late Tchaikovsky from a maestro not always at his best.......2007-07-15

There's no argument that Igor Markevitch, who first emerged as a composing prodigy in the era of Diaghalev, was a great conductor as well. But toward the end of his career his star waned, in large part due to a catastrophic hearing loss that came on suddenly. As a result, his later recordings are often a pale shadow of his earlier ones. Here he seems decidedly less than passionate and committed to Tchaikovksy's last three symphonies, yet thanks to the LSO's excelent playing and the precision of the interpretation, one remains interested.

Sym. #4 -- the first movement is steady, well balanced, and good in execution, but there's no special drama or excitment, and the movement's shape seems loose. The second movement Andantino, however, brings out some lovely solo wind playing, and Markevitch applies a refined touch. The Scherzo begins with drilled precision in the string pizzicatos that still manages to sound spontaneous. Too bad the trio loses momentum and starts to sag. The finale, taken at a clip, avoids sounding frenetic. Markevitch emphasizes the folkloric elements instead of the fireworks, and that works well, assuming ou don't mind the loss of visceral impact.

Sym. #5 -- I expected Markevitch to remain at fairly low temperature for the Fifth Sym., but this works benefits from such an approach more than the Fourth. The themes verge on the banal, and pumping up the rhetoric only makes the Fifth sound empty. One may long for Mravinsky's fiery interpretation, but in the first movement Markevitch shows that refinement and balance are a good alternative. The first horn plays his solo in the Andante cantabile with great stylishness (I assume it's Barry Tuckwell), and Markevitch for his part shapes the orchestral line elegantly. The third movement Waltz needs more energy and flair than it gets here, but there's no doubting Markevitch's ability to shape the line. For me, the finale can easily become vapid -- I don't find that Tchaikovsky's motto theme has as much depth as he thinks it does. Markevitch certainly doesn't whip things up; if an;ything, he's reticent to a fault. If you prefer a reserved, controlled reading a la Dohnanyi, this version will please you more than it did me.

Sym. #6 -- Oddly, the Pathetique starts off with some scrapy ensemble in the woodwinds, and Markevitch seems to proeed without much interest. Phrasing is ordinary, rhythms loose. Given the many great interpretations this work has received, Markevitch's is uninvolving. There are dramatic high points in the first movement, hwoever, and I really admire the way Markevitch digs into the 5/4 waltz -- he finds accents that no one else does. The third movement march has become a regular showpiece for orchestra, but here Markevitch seems to hold back. The clipped phrasing and foursquare handling of rhythm are baffling to me. The poignancy of the Finale is controlled, the phrasing almost cautious. But by then one realizes that this was Markevitch's style at the time, a far cry from some of his most famous recordings from the Fifties (like his blazing Berlioz Damnation of Faust).

Having said all this, Markevitch was a major talent, and anything he has to say about Tchaikovsky is worth hearing. I'd recommend this set at its bargain price and can only praise its cultivaiton and refinement.

Your best bet for these three works.......2005-09-26

It's hard to categorize Markevitch's style in these symphonies. He doesn't impose his own ideology or personality on the music. He is fast and furious in those passages where speed and furiousness are the most effective approach. He swoons when the music should swoon, and he plays delicately when delicacy is called for.

A previous reviewer recommended the Mravinsky recordings over this set. I disagree. Mravinsky attacks the music; Markevitch loves it. At every phrase of every movement, Markevitch seems to have immersed himself in the music. He obviously developed a deep understanding of what the composer was trying to communicate, and he is in complete emotional sympathy with every nuance. It's hard to listen to these without feeling that this is exactly what Tchaikovsky himself would have wanted to hear.

This isn't the very best orchestral sound I have ever heard on a recording, but it's certainly nothing to complain about, either.

To get three such superb performances of Tchaikovsky's most famous symphonies for the price of one CD is one of the great bargains in the classical catalog. Grab this!

Markevitch, y las otras tres sinfonias..........2004-12-01

Si el primer CD doble con las tres primeras sinfonias es memorable, este es muy bueno pero definitivamente perdio fuerza y sentimentalismo a la hora de interpretarlas, Markevitch logro con las tres primeras fuerza y sublimidad, ahora en este caso sigue la sublimidad pero falta de sentimientos y la fuerza esta baja en energia.
Son interprtetaciones geniales y sobre la mayoria de sus compañeros directores, pero en estas tres quedo bajo muchas otras versiones, la cuarta sinfonia es vigorosa, tiene un comienzo abrumador y sorprendente, por cierto escuchen a Ormandy o a Abbado (con la Wiener Philharmoniker) grandiosas, la quinta sinfonia es extraordinaria con valse incluida y un final que no acaba, para esta sinfonia Ormandy y Bernstein son geniales.
Para finalizar la extraordinaria, intimista y por cierto extrañamente apesumbrada "patetica", que inicia un movimiento lento para seguir fulgurante y apoteosica, que incluye algo asi como una marcha y termina tan suave y silenciosa como comenzo, es una sinfonia distinta y requiere una vision compleja e intima del autor. Markevitch logra el proposito y denota su buen enlace con su compatriota.
Es un Cd de coleccion porque son interpretaciones extraordinarias pero que pierden mucho frente a versiones inmejorables, Markevitch se esfuerza pero algo le falto.

Romantic Expression: Tchaikovsky's Best Symphonies.......2003-01-22

Peter Ilych Tchaikovsky, best known for his ballets, was also a symphonic composer. To those who are not familiar with Tchaikovsky's prolific, excellent taste of composition, this review should benefit you. He was indeed a masterful composer of symphonies. He was well educated in music, loved and appreciated Mozart and Beethoven and developed his own romantic style from humble beginnings. His 1, 2, and 3rd symphonies are less mature than his last three, but are quality works, scored with brilliant folk melody. The last three symphonies, 4, 5 and 6 are considered by many music lovers and fans of Romanticism, as the truest expression of romantic classical music. We must understand that Tchaikovsky was a composer who was a true romantic, who felt things deeply and whose life imitated his art. It was through his pain that Tchaikovsky gathered inspiration, composing and spinning out elaborate, elegant, romantic, inspirational music for the symphony. Tchaikovsky was a man whose homosexual lifestyle was shunned by Imperial Russia society. To avoid the detrimental ban of his music or perhaps his own exile, Tchaikovsky constantly projected an image of a sentimental, but heterosexual man (he was married for some time briefly before divorce) and his music was very popular in Russia and America. The last three symphonies are the perfect epitome of Romantic Era music, as well as a musical portrait of Tchaikovsky and his time. There are moments when the music becomes introspective and personal, tinged with deep sorrow at variance with exalted joy. It is the most human symphonies ever composed, at paar with the humanistic symphonies of Beethoven, especially in his Fifth and 9th.

In his fourth symphony, Tchaikovsky was deeply influenced by Beethoven's "Fate" theme. Many Romantic composers of the late 19th century came up with their own "fate" themes. Also, it could be debated that Tchaikovsky was thinking more in lines of Bizet's opera Carmen when he composed the Fate Theme for his 4th symphony. At the time, he had just become financially independent and well off enough to take his music on tour, even to America, thanks to the sponsorship of his patron, the Countess Nadezda Von Meck. He dedicated the symphony to her, and though the first movement can be clearly a descriptin of Fate and overwhelming oddds, darkness and fire, after all, it is scored "allegro con fuego". The second movement is a romantic, slow-paced piece that rises to a crescendo and then winds down to the whispering caress of its elegant restrained melody. The last movement is a celebration, clearly Tchaikovsky's gratitutde for the Countess' support is described. Raucous, it is filled with Russian folk tunes.

The Fifth is of an equally impressive scope. Melancholic in its first movement, it slowly rises into a waltz and then concludes with a triumph over fate, similar to Beethoven's Fifth symphony finale. The Sixth "Pathetique" is Tchaikovsky's final work. He wrote the symphony shortly before he died. It is a symphonic Requiem, although subtle in its intentions. The romantic themes dwindle and the last movement is a fatal blow and final breath of life. Tchaikovsky's music is deeply romantic, intensely emotional and perfect in orchestral color. Never before has a composer dedicated himself so wholesomely to his art. This cd is bargain price and at the hands of conductor Igor Markevitch and the London Symphony, it's the best interpretation of the symphonies.

Etheral heights, plain price.......2002-06-05

I agree with Hurwitz: Markevitch adds a Gallic, feline suavity to these three old goodies and plays them for us like they're new. A lot of the Cyrillic wailing that is inherent in Russian performances is blissfully absent, and every content point, every expression, every luminous point of orchestration is given to us with Markevitch's sophisticated sense of quality. It's all real, no paste here.

Customer Reviews:

ONE OF THE VERY BEST EVER!!!.......2007-03-21

Las sinfonias de Tchaikovsky se encuentran entre las paginas mas bellas jamas escritas en la historia de la musica, de alli su gran popularidad, y la buena cantidad y calidad de versiones que existen en el mercado. Stokowski, Mravinsky, Bernstein, Monteaux, Markevitch, Abbado, Gergiev, etc .... le han dedicado tiempo a estas obras y Karajan y la Filarmonica de Berlin, se dieron el lujo de grabar estas sinfonias en tres ocasiones diferentes, y para mi gusto este set, de los 60's es el mas preciso de los tres, refleja toda la intensidad, el drama y el lirismo que las sinfonias requieren. Este ciclo junto con el que hiciera el mitico Mravinsky para el mismo sello con la Filarmonica de Leningrado son de las mejores versiones de estas sinfonias jamas grabadas. Muy recomendable.

Which of Karajan's three late Tchaikovsky cycles to choose?.......2006-07-18

Like the reviewer below, I heartily welcome the return of Karajan's Tchaikovsky Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth from the mid-Sixties. But it's irksome to find that DG's remastering hasn't solved the thin, brittle, shrill sonics. The opening trumpet fanfare in the Fourth Sym. (1967) sent me scurrying to turn down the volume--cymbals and brass are ear-piercing except at moderate levels, and the big climaxes are marred by an annoying crunch.

I decided to do a sound check on the Fifth (1966) and Sixth (1964). They are little better, and I was shocked to hear lots of raspy trumpet attacks in both the Fourth and Fifth. Wihtout dwelling on this aspect, be prepared for less-than-ideal sound. It took DG's engineers three or four tries to get Karajan's 1963 Beethoven cycle to sound right; it may take that long here, too. The sonics are much improved in his two later sets on DG.

As for interpreatations, Karajan made no radical changes over the years. Direct comparisons would take days--Karajan recorded at least five Pathetiques and four of the other two symphonies. I'd say in general that he sounds fresh, alert, and direct in these Sixties recordings; there's no attempt to inflate the music or make it feel important. All the waltz movements are light and lilting. The finale of the Pathetique in every Karajan performance is light and melancholy rather than tragic. The overall timings tend to be quickish in the Sixties compared to his other accounts.

In general, you can skip this set if you have either of his DG versions from Berlin (late Seventies) and Vienna (live, late Eighties just before his death). The Vienna ones are infused with a touching autumnal quality that I cherish, but tempos have gotten a bit slack at times. The big misfire is an EMI cycle from the early Seventies, which is over-inflated and recorded in murky, congested sound.

One should also note that Karajan's style of Tchaikovsky conducting--straightforward and Germanic--feels unidiomatic beside the best Russians, particularly Mravinsky. Good as his performances could be, Karajan wasn't a supreme conductor of Tchaikovsky, a conclusion I've come to now that I own nearly every vesion he made.

4.5 stars!.......2005-01-18

I would have to rate Karjan's set fractionally below his DG remakes from the 70's - which were his finest statements on these symphonies. Sound quality issues isn't the problem. The 1964 Pathetique is quite warm and lush, compared to the slightly earlier 5th (which musically doesn't quite match his later accounts). The 1967 4th symphony is just simply wonderful. The bass is a little dry as compared to his 1977 recording, but it is a little cleaner too. It is extremely intense and moving, nontheless. Certainly among the finest 4ths around.
Stay away from Karajan's early 70's Tchaikovsky 4,5,& 6 versions on EMI. Sound is just not quite right and the playing seems sub-par. One can tell that his heart is just not into those versions.

Karajan's 1960s Tchaikovsky Finally!.......2004-01-11

Since the dawn of the Compact Disk in the early 1980s I have awaited the reissue of Herbert von Karajan's recordings of the Tchaikovsky Symphonies 4,5, and 6 from the 1960s. Those recordings certainly eclipse all of Karajan's other recordings of these works. The sound has a warmth and reality to it, especially when put alongside the very dry recordings from the late 70s. The readings of the fourth and sixth are very similar to other Karajan renditions. but the fifth stands out in this rendition. It sounds more deeply felt, less obtuse than his other recordings.
Walk a mile, or more, to get this one! Accept no substitutes!
Now if only Universal would do the same for HVKs 1960s Brahms recordings too!

Sauer: Orchestral Excerpts for Trombone Vol. 2

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Sauer: Orchestral Excerpts for Trombone Vol. 2
Ralph Sauer , Hector Berlioz , Cesar Franck , Zoltan Kodaly , Leos Janacek , Giuseppe Verdi , Robert Schumann , Johannes Brahms , Gustav Mahler , Paul Hindemith , Jean Sibelius , Alban Berg , Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky , and Sergey Prokofiev
Manufacturer: Summit(Classical)
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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