Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6 / Solti

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Sir Georg Solti's Romeo and Juliet is very good, though if you want all of his Tchaikovsky symphony recordings you'll wind up owning it twice, since it's also coupled with his recording of the Fourth Symphony. Very dumb, London. Anyway, the symphony gets a rousing, typically hard-driven performance that's superbly played and well recorded. There may be more subtle performances around, but no one hearing this will find much to complain about. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews:

Curzon and Solti: Tchaikovsky's nightmare.......2007-06-26

Heavyhanded Solti and the VPO and Curzon who's tempi unsettled Solti, unorganic, affected, ridiculous are the words that come to mind! This is almost as bad as Toradze and Gergiev! Do not waste your money: Solti and Tchaikovsky do not go hand in hand and Curzon has nothing to say with this piece.
On LP the recorded sound is not bad although the piano has some very strange tone in low midrange register.
I'll take the perhaps too lively Katchen/Gamba anytime over this stale, pompous effort!

More Classic Curzon.......2006-02-14

After enjoying (and reviewing) the previous two installments of pianist Clifford Curzon's Decca Recordings in the "Original Masters" series, I was delighted to pick up Volume 3 over the holidays. The performances on this six disc set span nearly thirty-five years, from a 1937 orchestrated account of Schubert's "Wanderer" Fantasy with Sir Henry Wood and the Queen's Hall Orchestra, to a final disc of all Schubert, the majority of which was made in 1971. In between are many brilliant concerto recordings, and though some have been previously available on CD, all have been out-of-print for some time. The true gems are paired on disc four -- the 1959 stereo Grieg with Fjeldstad and the London SO (my personal favorite -- I had the old "Classic Sound" series CD), and the 1957 mono Brahms No. 2 with Knappertsbusch and Vienna. Coming in a close second is disc three's coupling of the Tchaikovsky 1st, with Solti leading Vienna in stereo from 1958, and the Rachmaninov 2nd, with Boult and the LPO in mono from 1955. The remaining two Concerto performances -- Mozart's 23rd and Brahms' 1st -- are regrettably from the 1940s and suffer from both mediocre sound and comparatively uninspired conducting (Neel and Jorda respectively). Rounding out this set are 1952 performances of the two Mozart Piano Quartets with members of the Amadeus Quartet, and an entire disc (no. 5) of stereo Liszt solo piano works. In all, this is a great collection, and here's to hoping there is enough material in the vaults to produce a Volume 4!

Average customer rating:

Some incredible pieces, a good price, but also frustrating
A great value for your money.
Tchaikovsky
WOW!
The Ultimate Tchaikovsky

The Tchaikovsky Album

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Famous Overtures
Sibelius: Finlandia; En Saga; Valse triste; Karelia Suite; The Swan of Tuonela
Joy to the World - Eugene Ormandy, Philadelphia Orchestra
Beethoven: Symphonien Nos. 5 & 7 / Kleiber, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
Dvorak: Symphony No. 9 "From the New World"

ASIN: B000007OTT
Release Date: 1998-06-09

Tracks:

1812 Overture, Op. 49 - Georg Solti
Romeo and Juliet - Fantasy Overture - Georg Solti
The Nutcracker- Suite, Op. 71a: I. Overture miniature - Georg Solti
The Nutcracker- Suite, Op. 71a: II. Danses caractstiques: Marche - Georg Solti
The Nutcracker- Suite, Op. 71a: II. Danses caractstiques: Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy - Georg Solti
The Nutcracker- Suite, Op. 71a: II. Danses caractstiques: Danse russe (Trepak) - Georg Solti
The Nutcracker- Suite, Op. 71a: II. Danses caractstiques: Danse arabe - Georg Solti
The Nutcracker- Suite, Op. 71a: II. Danses caractstiques: Danse chinoise - Georg Solti
The Nutcracker- Suite, Op. 71a: II. Danses caractstiques: Dance of the Reed Pipes - Georg Solti
The Nutcracker- Suite, Op. 71a`: II. Danses caractstiques: Waltz of the Flowers - Georg Solti

Tracks:

Swan Lake- Suite: I. Scene - Le lac des cygnes - Chicago Symphony Orchestra - Sir Georg Solti
Swan Lake- Suite: II. Valse - Chicago Symphony Orchestra - Sir Georg Solti
Swan Lake- Suite: III. Danse des cygnes - Chicago Symphony Orchestra - Sir Georg Solti
Swan Lake- Suite: IV. Scene - Chicago Symphony Orchestra - Sir Georg Solti
Swan Lake- Suite: V. Danse hongroise - Chicago Symphony Orchestra - Sir Georg Solti
Swan Lake- Suite: VI. Danse espagnole - Chicago Symphony Orchestra - Sir Georg Solti
Swan Lake- Suite: VII. Danse napolitaine - Chicago Symphony Orchestra - Sir Georg Solti
Symphony No. 6 In B Minor, Op. 74 'Pathetique': I. Adagio - Allegro non troppo - Chicago Symphony Orchestra - Sir Georg Solti
Symphony No. 6 In B Minor, Op. 74 'Pathetique': II. Allegro con grazia - Chicago Symphony Orchestra - Sir Georg Solti
Symphony No. 6 In B Minor, Op. 74 'Pathetique': III. Allegro molto vivace - Chicago Symphony Orchestra - Sir Georg Solti
Symphony No. 6 In B Minor, Op. 74 'Pathetique': IV. Finale: Adagio lamentoso - Andante - Chicago Symphony Orchestra - Sir Georg Solti

Customer Reviews:

Some incredible pieces, a good price, but also frustrating.......2007-02-07

While I suppose that this is a good CD to get you hooked on Tchaikovsky (which I urge and encourage, as he is one of the most brilliant composers that has ever lived), it has its ups and its downs. It's surprisingly cheap for a double CD, and it is a very good deal, but there are still some things that need to be stated.

For starters, this CD is a "sampler". It gives you tastes of the greats as opposed to the real thing. It gives you a very small slice of "The Nutcracker" and "Swan Lake", well played, I'll admit, but too small to give the same impression that the entire ballets give. Obviously it would be impossible to fit two full ballets, two overtures, and a symphony on two CDs, so here they settle for small suites.

While at least you get a taste, it's almost as though the beauty of the pieces is lost as a large portion gets cut. That's a big downside that frustrated me, because had I not known that "The Nutcracker" was much longer, I never would have known that there were more parts. It also discourages you from getting full CDs of the ballets, because you're under the impression that "this is it". Well, not quite.

The plus side to this CD is pretty big. The 1812 Overture (my favorite track) is simply amazing. I can listen to it on repeat (despite its 15 minute length!) for hours to an end. It's powerful, emotional, strong, and simply breathtaking. It's the perfect recording of what is one of the best classical pieces ever. The Romeo and Juliet Overture is also very good, beautiful at the right moments, and powerful and strong at those. It's both lovely and huge at the same time.

This is a good CD. It has the big reasons that make me want you to buy it, like its comfortable price and the incredible 1812, but it also has the whole issue with the ballets, and that fact that there are better recordings of, again, the ballets. If you want a "taste" of Tchaikovsky, this is it, but for the real deal (full ballets), I suggest something different.

A great value for your money........2007-01-18

The Tchaikosky Album it is a very good way to get a glimpse of some of Tchaikovsky's most famous works as seen by a very good director and orchestra like Solti and the Chicago Symphony; all the works in the double CD are well-known, but to me, the highlight is the Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture, which is outstanding. The Nutcracker and Swan Lake suites are also included here, and they are well-executed, without too much flash or too little spirit. In general, this is a very good record at a very good price, but if you are looking for the best Tchaikosvky that you can find, you better look elsewhere.

Tchaikovsky .......2005-06-26

Peter Tchaikovsky has made some of the most famous music/ballets. His resume includes the classics : Romeo and Juliet ( fantasy overture ), The nutcracker, sleeping beauty, 1812 overture etc. In this album, the 1812 overture is amazing and best performed. Romeo and Juliet : fanasty overture, is as romantic as ever. Swan lake- Suit 1 ( my favorite ) is still powerful and dramtic. Ahh and waltz of the flowers, what hasn't already been said about that. I personally recommend this album to the people who are already a fan of Tchaikovsky, you will surely appericate this album.

WOW!.......2005-06-22

By no means am I an expert in the realms of music, but this version of Tchaikovsky's greatest works struck me as nothing short of amazing. From the high range of the strings to the intense brass melodies, Solti's version brings out the true spirit of Tchaikovsky.

The Ultimate Tchaikovsky.......2003-06-29

Being a freshman in highschool, I am quite possibly the only one who listens to classical music. I started a music collection and this is one of the first of the recordings I bought. I was lucky for a novice! If you want a completely masterful recording of Tchaikovsky's best, this is it. All sections of the orchestra become alive with Solti's conducting and really deliver an emotion-packed, powerful performance. It is certainly worth its money

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Mr. Holland's Guide to Classical Music

Mr. Holland's Guide To Classical Music

Manufacturer: Polygram Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00000429P
Release Date: 1996-09-17

Tracks:

Brandenburg Con No.2: Allegro assai - New London Consort/Pickett
Sym No.40: Molto allegro - CO of Europe/Solti
Sym No.5: Allegro con brio - Vienna Phil/Solti
Sym fantastique: March to the Scaffold - Chicago SO/Solti
'Minute' Waltz - Vladimir Ashkenazy
1812 Overture (finale) - Chicago SO/Solti
Die Walkure: Ride of the Valkyries - Vienna Phil/Solti
Peer Gynt Suite No.1: Morning Mood - San Francisco Sym/Blomstedt
Sym No.9 'From the New World': Largo Theme - Chicago SO/Solti
The Firebird: General Rejoicing - Orch Sym Montreal/Dutoit
The Planets: Mars - London PO/Solti
An American in Paris (opening) - Los Angeles PO/Maazel
Bolero (finale) - Chicago SO/Solti
Romeo and Juliet: Dance of the Knights - Orch Sym Montreal/Dutoit
Con for Orch: finale - World Orch for Peace/Solti

Customer Reviews:

Mr. Holland's Guide to Classical Music.......2000-06-24

This is an excellent collection of essential classical pieces. Every track is of the highest quality performance. The CD insert provides a short, applicable summary of each selection and each composer. It is the very best collection of classical music I have found- for beginning classical music lovers or seasoned vetrans of the arts- of ALL ages.

Average customer rating:

Tunes For Workout

Manufacturer: Direct Source Label
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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Classical Fitness
Mozart for Your Morning Workout

ASIN: B00005YCZK
Release Date: 2000-02-15

Average customer rating:

gooooodddd and wwwaaarrrmmmn
You have no other choices!
Mixed feelings

Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6 / Solti

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

The Decca Records Store | Specialty Stores | Music
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Saint-Saëns: Symphony No. 3; Poulenc: Organ Concerto; Barber: Toccata Festiva

ASIN: B0000041Y1
Release Date: 1991-05-10

Tracks:

Symphony No. 6 In B Minor, Op. 74 'Pathetique': I. Adagio - Allegro non troppo
Symphony No. 6 In B Minor, Op. 74 'Pathetique': II. Allegro con grazia
Symphony No. 6 In B Minor, Op. 74 'Pathetique': III. Allegro molto vivace
Symphony No. 6 In B Minor, Op. 74 'Pathetique': IV Finale: Adagio lamentoso - Andante
Romeo And Juliet

Amazon.com

Sir Georg Solti's Romeo and Juliet is very good, though if you want all of his Tchaikovsky symphony recordings you'll wind up owning it twice, since it's also coupled with his recording of the Fourth Symphony. Very dumb, London. Anyway, the symphony gets a rousing, typically hard-driven performance that's superbly played and well recorded. There may be more subtle performances around, but no one hearing this will find much to complain about. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews:

gooooodddd and wwwaaarrrmmmn .......2006-01-21

Good and warm no comments just breathtaking Perhaps the reviewer before me had a day-off?!

You have no other choices!.......2000-05-25

Solti's performance is so great that I made Solti & CSO to be my first choice about this symphony. Muravinsky's editoins are good, but Solti's it the best of my mind. Emotion and power are combined together!

Mixed feelings.......2000-03-19

Sigh. It pains me to have to do this, but this is not the definitive performance of Tchaikovsky's Sixth. Where the heck is my beloved Chicago brass! Solti and his Chicago players have had a rare off-day. Now the Romeo and Juliet recording is quite good, but I don't know if it's worth the price of the whole CD, although it could be if you've got money to burn (hard to pass up any good performance of the Chicago Symphony).

Average customer rating:

Baton Who's Who
Not Bad At All
Good selection of okay recordings
Classical music's heavy metal.
Who couldn't enjoy this CD?

Power Classics

Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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Classical Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music

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Power Classics

ASIN: B000003FMU
Release Date: 1994-02-15

Tracks:

Also sprach Zarathustra: Fanfare - Philadelphia Orchestra
The Planets: Mars - Philadelphia Orchestra
Pictures At An Exhibition: Great Gate Of Kiev - Philadelphia Orchestra
Requiem: Dies Irae - Chicago Symphony Chorus
Il Trovatore: Anvil Chorus - Rome Opera Chorus
Ritual Fire Dance - Arthur Fiedler
Bolero: Conclusion - Charles Munch
Symphonie Fantastique: March To The Scaffold - Georges Pretre
Symphony No.6: Thunderstorm - Fritz Reiner
Ein Heldenleben: Battle Scene - Fritz Reiner
Ride of the Valkyries - Philadelphia Orchestra
Gayne: Sabre Dance - Arthur Fiedler
Firebird: Infernal Dance - Erich Leinsdorf
Grand Canyon Suite: Cloudburst - Martin Gould
1812 Overture: Finale - Fritz Reiner

Customer Reviews:

Baton Who's Who.......2007-02-16

RCA VICTOR's POWER CLASSICS has a mid-20th Century All-Star team of conductors hitting 'em outta the park with the world's smallest bats. Featured in this lineup are: Charles Munch, Fritz Reiner, Georg Solti, Morton Gould, Eugene Ormandy and Arthur Fiedler. Showcases a great-sounding solid hour of everyman classics delivered with roaring panache. You simply can't go wrong with this one. Recommended.

Not Bad At All.......2001-08-28

Okay I'll concede that for a classical music connoisseur, this may not be the best choice. But if you're someone who has just discovered classical music and are just interested in hearing some pieces you might recognize, I can't think of a better selection. This CD contains many familiar tunes (a lot of which gained their popularity in Warner Bros.' cartoons), and while personally I could have done without Ravel's repetitive Bolero, you might find it relaxing; I suppose its place on this disc is as well-deserved as any other's. This is one of the few CDs that got me hooked on classical music. If you like classical music, love it, dislike it, abhor it - at least give this one a try. It won't disappoint.

Good selection of okay recordings.......2000-06-26

This disc contains many wonderful pieces of classical music and operatic choruses, but the quality of the recordings leaves something to be desired. It's a great disc for someone who's just starting into classical music or who doesn't want to go much beyond a few "collections" CDs, but I wouldn't buy it if I only wanted it for a specific piece - there are better recordings of each available, mostly separately.

Classical music's heavy metal........1999-07-08

Another disc concocted by the RCA marketing boys who brought us the daffy "Space Classics" CD. This is one will also have limited appeal to anyone who knows much about music, but I suppose it would make a fair demonstration disc. The first three or four tracks will rattle the walls and peel the paint with the best of them. Also highly recommended, at appropriate volume levels, for breaking leases.

Who couldn't enjoy this CD?.......1999-03-28

This is a great first classical CD. Mars is the quintessential power classic. Sing along with Verdi's choruses. Be intrigued by the Ritual Fire Dance. Enjoy them all!

Tracks:

Piano Concerto No.2 In C Minor, Op.18
Piano Concerto No.3 In D Minor, Op.30
Piano Concerto No.6 In B Flat, K.238
Piano Concerto No.8 In C, K.246 "Lzow"
Piano Concerto No.9 In E Flat, K.271 - "Jeunehomme"
Concert Rondo For Piano And Orchestra In D. K.382
Piano Concerto No.20 In D Minor, K.466
Piano Concerto No.27 In B Flat, K.595
Piano Concerto No.1 In B Flat Minor, Op.23
Piano Concerto No.2 In F Minor, Op.21
Concerto For Harpsichord, Strings, And Continuo No.1 In D Minor, Bwv 1052
Piano Concerto No.2 In B Flat, Op.83
Piano Concerto No.4 In G, Op.58
Piano Concerto No.5 In E Flat Major Op.73 -"Emperor"
Piano Concerto In A Minor, Op.54
Introduction & Allegro Appassionato For Piano & Orchestra, Op.92
Concert Allegro With Introduction In D Minor, Op.134
Alexander Scriabin
Rhapsody On A Theme Of Paganini, Op.43
Piano Concerto No.3, Bb 127, Sz. 119
Prometh - Le Poe Du Feu, Op.60
Piano Concerto No.1, Bb 91, Sz. 83
Piano Concerto
Piano Concerto No.2, Bb 101, Sz. 95
Piano Concerto No.1 In D Flat, Op.10
Piano Concerto No.2 In G Minor, Op.16
Piano Concerto No.21 In C, K.467

Customer Reviews:

Great Concertos, Not So Great Box Set.......2004-04-29

The fact that Vladimir Ashkenazy is one of the great pianists of the 20th Century is not open for debate. His performances of Mozart, Prokofiev and Rachmaninov in particular are among the very best ever recorded, and his Beethoven, Brahms and Tchaikovsky aren't far behind. Whether some of his better recordings should have been collected on this boxed set to celebrate his forty-year association with Decca, most certainly is up for debate.

I know that limited edition collector's sets focusing on venerable artists, instead of the traditional box sets focused on a specific composer, have been very profitable lately -- like those in the "Original Masters" series (see my reviews). But what distinguishes those sets from Ashkenazy's is the abundance of rare material, often never before released on CD. This 11 CD set only features one previously unissued performance, included on a "bonus CD" that is only 29 minutes in length -- Mozart's 21st Piano Concerto with Ashkenazy playing and conducting the London Symphony Orchestra. (A performance with the Philharmonia of No. 21 is included on Ashkenazy's Double Decca title and box set of the Piano Concerto Cycle.) It also features two performances in their "first international release" -- Schumann's "Introduction & Allegro appasionato" and "Concerto Allegro with Introduction," both with Uri Segal leading the LSO. The remainder of the recordings have all been available on CD previously -- the Rach 2 & 3 on Decca Legends, the Prokofievs on a Double Decca, the Tchaikovsky & Chopin PC2 in the Penguin Classics series, the Beethovens on a London/Decca box of the Piano Concertos, etc. Yes, some of the material is now out-of-print as single-discs -- the early Mozart Concertos with Kertesz and Schmidt-Isserstedt, and the Bach 1052 with Zinman were available in the old "Classic Sound" series -- but serious collectors most likely bought those initial offerings years ago before they were deleted.

So I guess my question is, whom does the Universal Music Group think will buy this set? The title "Collector's Edition" assumes collectors like me will, but I'm not trading in my single CD titles at the used store just to pay more money for one unissued Mozart performance! Therefore, this set must be aimed at entry-level fans, but most of them are not going to pay this much for their classical music either. And if they are curious about Ashkenazy as a performer, surely starting with a less comprehensive title makes more sense. You'd think by now UNI, with all its vast resources and labels, would have a better handle on their fan base, yet they prove once again that they do not.

Average customer rating:

Orchestra!

Manufacturer: Polygram Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00000E4OQ
Release Date: 1991-04-05

Tracks:

Con Grosso, Op.6 No.11: II. Allegro - Dudley Moore
Brandenburg Con No.3: I. Allegro - Dudley Moore
Sym No.99: II. Adagio (Exc) - Sir Georg Solti/Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orch
The Marriage Of Figaro: Ov - Sir Georg Solti/Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orch
'Choral' Sym: IV. Fant (Exc) - Sir Georg Solti/Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orch
'Unfinished' Sym: I. Allegro Moderato (Exc) - Sir Georg Solti/Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orch
Pno Con: I. Allegro Affetuoso (Exc) - Dudley Moore
Sym Fantastique: The March To The Scaffold - Sir Georg Solti/Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orch
The Mastersingers Of Nuremberg: Prld - Sir Georg Solti/Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orch
Vars On A Theme By Joseph Haydn: Var V. (Pno Duet Version) - Sir Georg Soli/Dudley Moore
Vars On A Theme By Joseph Haydn Var V. (Orchestral Version) - Sir Georg Solti/Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orch
Vars On A Theme By Joseph Haydn: Var VII (Pno Duet Version) - Sir Georg Soli/Dudley Moore
Pno Con No.1: Allegro Non Troppo (Exc) - Dudley Moore
Don Juan - Sir Georg Solti/Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orch
La Valse: Conclusion - Sir Georg Solti/Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orch
Music: II. Allegro (Exc) - Dudley Moore
The Rite Of Spring: Dance Of The Earth - Sir Georg Solti/Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orch
Sym No.3: Conclusion - Dudley Moore

London Symphony Orchestra (1904-2004): The Centennial Set

Average customer rating:

A Spectacular Collection of 100 Years of the LSO

London Symphony Orchestra (1904-2004): The Centennial Set

Manufacturer: Andante
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
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Khachaturian: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 3

ASIN: B00029BP58
Release Date: 2005-01-18

Amazon.com

This 4-CD set celebrates the 100th anniversary of the London Symphony Orchestra, tracing its development and rise to a place among the world's premier orchestras. Founded in 1904 by 46 disgruntled members of Sir Henry Wood's Queen's Hall Orchestra and 53 adventurous young colleagues, the LSO became the first self-governing, cooperatively owned English orchestra. (It was also the first to tour America.) To safeguard its autonomy, the LSO had "Principal Conductors" and guests instead of music directors; in the booklet, the players talk about them very affectionately. Observing the orchestra's evolution and its incredible responsiveness to these very different conductors is one of the fascinations on this journey through a century of music-making. Although the recorded sound is influenced by advances in technology and, in the live recordings, varying acoustics, the playing is invariably wonderful: terrific performances of great music, chosen to bring out the best in musicians and conductors.

The LSO's very first recording of 1914 opens the set: Weber's "Oberon" Overture under Arthur Nikisch. The sound is antique, the strings slide, the trombones bray, the ensemble is messy, but the playing has an exuberance that augurs well for the future. The set ends with two excerpts from Berlioz's Benvenuto Cellini under the LSO's present Principal Conductor, Sir Colin Davis, a renowned Berlioz specialist, with whom the orchestra has had a long, close relationship. Captured at London's Barbican Center in 1999, the performance is thrilling, although, like several of the set's live recordings, imperfectly balanced.

Among the highlights are appearances by two guest conductors. In 1938, Bruno Walter--whom the players "felt God had put in charge"--made Beethoven's "Coriolan" Overture sound ravishingly warm and singing; by contrast, Stravinsky's Petrouchka and Tchaikovsky's Fifth Symphony, recorded live at the 1994 Salzburg Festival, are driven, steely, almost militaristically precise under George Solti. Josef Krips' performance of Schubert's Sixth Symphony of 1948 projects elegance, delicacy, sweetness, grace, clarity, and leisurely expressiveness; the players felt Krips was turning them into a "suave, homogenous Austrian" orchestra. One of the orchestra's favorite maestros was Pierre Monteux, "who had so much… musicianship and wisdom to impart." Recorded live in Vienna 1963, his Tchaikovsky Romeo and Juliet is lush and surging, going from ardent lyricism to turbulent passion, and sounds fabulous. In a 1966 Promenade concert, István Kertész goes all out in contrasting dynamics and emotions in Schubert's "Unfinished" and Dvorák's Sixth Symphonies, but the sound at the Albert Hall is not good. At the Barbican in 1997, Debussy's Jeux is all shimmering color, atmosphere and mercurial mood under Michael Tilson Thomas. In this musical cornucopia, listeners will find their own favorites. --Edith Eisler

Customer Reviews:

A Spectacular Collection of 100 Years of the LSO.......2005-02-14

Not all the Andante boxed sets I've heard have been wonderful, indeed some (like the 'Falstaff' set) have been not very competitive at all. But this collection of performances by the London Symphony Orchestra is spectacularly good. It contains the orchestra's very earliest recording, under Nikisch, from 1914, and comes all the way forward to some 1990s performances under Colin Davis, Georg Solti and Michael Tilson Thomas. Since Amazon has not (as yet) listed the contents, I shall do so by speaking of each performance in order of its appearance on this 4CD set.

CD1: Nikisch led the orchestra, of course using the old acoustic recording technique, in a historically interesting performance of Weber's Oberon Overture. It is in execrable sound but still one can hear why people revered Nikisch; he shapes and molds the performance beautifully. And it also shows that as far back as 1914 there was an artful application of vibrato (and, alas, rather annoying portamenti) in the string-playing, lest anyone think, as some apparently do, that string vibrato is a more recent thing. This is followed (1935) by the Berlioz's King Lear Overture led by a conductor we don't often associate with that composer, Hamilton Harty. Because of its form, 'Le Roi Lear' is hard to hold together, but Harty shows himself to be a fine Berliozian. We get a warm, dramatic and cohesive 'Coriolan' Overture by Bruno Walter (1938). From 1948 we have Josef Krips leading Schubert's 6th Symphony and I swear they sound like the Vienna Philharmonic of that period, with a warm bloom in the violins and a lightness of spirit that one doesn't hear in the earlier performances. CD1 is finished by what for me is one of the really great performances I've ever heard of Tchaikovsky's 'Romeo and Juliet' Overture, led by Pierre Monteux (1963). There is backbone and lucidity in this performance, something sometimes missing in this hyper-romantic score. The wind playing is magnificent.

CD2: This is given over, rightly, to two marvelous performances, both recorded September 1, 1966 in Royal Albert Hall by István Kertész. Schubert's 'Unfinished' Symphony is given a dark, lustrous performance; Dvorák's rarely heard Sixth Symphony is, in contrast, as light and wistful a reading as one is ever likely to hear. These two performances, as far as I know never released, are worthy of being placed in the pantheon of great performances of these two works. Stunning playing. It is important to recall that this was the point at which the orchestra had really begun to be considered the greatest in England, and for good reason. Kertész was only the music director for three years but he really brought the orchestra along and it was in exceptional shape when taken over by its next music director, André Previn.

CD3: This CD is devoted to a conductor who was never the LSO's music director but one who had a close relationship with it: Georg Solti. And the two performances here--both recorded the same day in 1994 at the Salzburg Festival--are electrifying. The complete 'Petrushka' features razor-sharp rhythmic ensemble, clarity of texture and, something sometimes not associated with Solti, a romantic, if melancholy, tinge to the tenderer moments of this marvelous score. This is easily the equal of well-regarded recordings by Rattle, Bernstein, Chailly and the composer himself. And it is followed by the echt-Romantic 'Fifth Symphony' by Tchaikovsky. Anyone who thinks Solti couldn't conduct Russian music should take a listen to this and the Petrushka. Any doubts they might have had will evaporate. The amazing thing about the Tchaikovsky is that it is an almost classic performance; he does not give in to the temptation to slobber over the most expressive passages. The orchestra plays like gods; this is perhaps the most virtuosic playing in this set (although there are others that are right up there: the Berg, Berlioz (C. Davis), the Dvorák).

CD4: An astoundingly effective 'Three Pieces for Orchestra' by Berg, conducted with absolute precision coupled with romantic and yet lucid style by Claudio Abbado (rec. 1970, prev. released on DG). (I have been a latecomer to that band of music-lovers who admire Abbado, but that has changed for me over the past year or so. This performance cements my feeling that he is one of the great conductors of our age.) The LSO play for him as if possessed. This is followed by a bit of a letdown, the Elgar 'Cockaigne' Overure, led by André Previn (rec. 1975). I've heard commercial recordings of Previn leading the LSO that rocked my world, but this one remains a bit earthbound. And, I'm sorry to say, much the same happened with Debussy's 'Jeux' (a score I adore) led by Michael Tilson Thomas. The filigree and delicacy is there but the rhythmic precision and emotional heart seem to be a bit lacking. (Somewhat surprisingly, given his reputation as a bit of a stick, Bernard Haitink's recording with the Concertgebouw remains my favorite.) Finally, there are two selections from a live performance of Berlioz's 'Benvenuto Cellini'---the Overture and the Act I trio (with G. Sabbatini, E. Futral, L. Naouri) (rec. 1999). There is, of course, no greater Berlioz conductor currently before the public. Colin Davis has played and recorded most of Berlioz's oeuvre with this orchestra; the LSO has the style in its bones at this point. And this performance is incandescent. (The sound for this selection alone is a bit treble-shy, but that can be easily fixed at playback.)

This set comes with an elaborate program book, hardbound, that contains essays by a number of people associated with the orchestra, as well as interviews with LSO players going back forty or more years. This is definitely a keeper. I am always a little leery of compilation sets like this one, but the high level of artistry and presentation are maintained except as noted above.

4CDs: TT=ca.5 hrs

Scott Morrison