Composed by Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky
Performed by Japan Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra Conducted by Leopold Stokowski
2. Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, Op. 74 "Pathétique", Op.74
Composed by Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky
Performed by London Symphony Orchestra Conducted by Leopold Stokowski
3. Symphony No. 5 in E Minor, Op. 64
Composed by Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky
with American Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by Leopold Stokowski
4. 1812 -- Festival Overture, for orchestra in E flat major, Op. 49
Composed by Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky
Performed by Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Conducted by Leopold Stokowski
Product Description
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I'm not ordinarily a fan of "historical" recordings, which often means miserably recorded air checks of dubious provenance. These performances, however, are different, in that they sound very good given the live source material, and more importantly, they document Leopold Stokowski at his most insane. The end of the Fourth Symphony has to be heard to be believed--totally reorchestrated, no two bars in the same tempo--how the orchestra stays together is anyone's guess. If you're a Stokowski fan, you've got to hear this. --David Hurwitz
Karajan's take on Tchaikovsky, as with much of his music, is very controlled, refined, silky smooth, and beautiful. The BPO and the Vienna Phil are great instruments allowing him to get the sound he wants. Karajan sometimes has been criticized for this elegance in sound. This is really unfair. The elegance is only part of the story. For example, if you listen to the early 60s Beethoven 5th or the 4th movement of Tchaikovsky's 5th you will find the playing to be very vigorous and exciting. On the one hand the playing is elegant; on the other the playing will rock the house. Tchaikovsky's symphony 5, 4th movement is one of the great hoots I have ever heard and will re cue it 2 or 3 times when I am walking.
At the other end of the spectrum is Mravinsky and his renditions of Tchaikovsky's last 3 numbered symphonies. The sound is raw, not refined. If the playing is elegant, this was not by design. The orchestral sound often is much smaller with the feel of a chamber ensemble. Once you hear these renditions, and then Karajan's, you will know why the elegance criticism has been lodged against Karajan.
Some of us from the land of PDQ Bach do not mind more than one take on a musical score! I am still waiting for the PDQ MOOG Tchaikovsky CD to hit the market. I do have Stokowski's Phase 4 Concert Series Tchaikovsky 5th LP that will do until the PDQ version comes out.
I have Mravinksy's Tchaikovsky in a 3 LP boxed set that had a 4th LP, Tchaikovsky Ballet orchestral suites, by Karajan thrown in as a bonus. The Mravinsky performances are distinctively different from Karajan's and are a thrill to hear. The first time I heard symphony 4, I must have muttered WOW 4 or 5 times. My sole criticism of these recordings is that the sound is not as good as one would want. Kinda like a garage band from Leningrad and Mravinsky is the leader of the band.
You should have plenty of room in your cyber space for both Karajan's and Mravinsky's Tchaikovsky and you will be missing out if you do not have both.
These recordings certainly go some. And then some more. You'd be hard-pushed to find performances of anything that maintain such a white-hot level of intensity throughout three fairly long symphonies.
When Mravinsky brought the Leningrad Philharmonic to the West in 1956, both conductor and orchestra were a pretty unknown quantity. It was the height of the Cold War and, while a reputation preceded them, no-one was quite sure what to expect. Mravinsky and his assistant, Kurt Sanderling, shared the conducting of these last three Tchaikovsky symphonies and recorded them in mono then. Many people prefer those recordings to these stereo remakes of 4 years later. Personally, I prefer the later versions. It's good sound for its period, if slightly edgy in a way that suits the Leningrad sound well. It's in stereo. And you get Mravinsky in all three symphonies.
He is a master of this Russian repertoire - making it sound and feel very Russian indeed. He is certainly not afraid of bending and shaping things to his individual view of the works. There is usually a fairly heavy foot on the brake before lyrical second subjects. There is an impetuosity about faster movements that often requires modifications of tempo later. Rubato is frequent, often indulgent, but never wilful - it's always used to clarify texture, to give a melody its full weight or to emphasise structure (where there is structure rather than just a succession of events!). The brass fanfares of the very opening of the Fourth Symphony will have you on the edge of your seat and you will likely stay there for the rest of the 2-disc set. The pizzicato Scherzo has real style and panache. And the Finale sets off at an absolutely electrifying zip - a zip which it maintains right through to the end. And so it goes on through all these symphonies. The Pathetique in particular comes across as a real symphony rather than a wallow in Russian morbidity. There is huge power in the march. And the Finale plumbs true depths. Make no mistake: these are very special performances.
Mravinsky had the reputation of being a dictator in front of an orchestra. Certainly the sound that he produced from his Leningraders was very distinctive. Compared to the homogeneity of sound that we get from today's international, jet-setting orchestras where they all sound like clones of each other, it is sad to see the passing of these `national' schools of orchestral timbre. The Leningrad Philharmonic in those days boasted strong, virile yet warm string playing, an edgy tone to the woodwind that is excellent for penetrating dense orchestra textures (perhaps their instruments weren't top-notch and the lack of top-quality reeds in the Soviet Union may have had something to do with it, too), a certain stridency in the trumpet section and that totally unique Slav sound in the horns - lots of vibrato, slightly wobbly eve, but based, they said, on the human voice. They all play like demons for their long-term conductor. These are thrilling, moving, cogent, committed ensemble performances, all three. And, while I don't yet count myself a complete convert to the Tchaikovsky cause, I'm certainly ready to proselytise on behalf of such exceptional music-making.
The other symphonies are quite good, but i feel there are better recordings out there (Gergiev Tchaik 6 is unbeatable).
What makes the 4th here so wonderful? Well, it's quite simply the ferver, commitment, and drive that these players muster up to push this wonderful symphony throughout.
It is extreme - the musicians are pushing themselves to the limits - which I feel is what Tchaikovsky is about. The playing on this disc is full of passion, which I would take over anything else in music. Passion.
A wonderful performance all around, you won't be dissapointed by symphonies 5 and 6 in the slightest, but I don't feel they are the best versions.
This CD is a MUST HAVE for all Tchaik fans.
But for more musically sophisticated and yet dramatic performances of these symphonies, I recommend Monteux and strangely enough, Klemperer. And why hasn't Munch's magnificent performance of #4 ever been released on CD?
This set dates from 1960, the height of the cold war, and at that time Mravinsky had been very little heard in what we used to call `the west'. It was a period when western critics were inclined to favour a smoothed-over play-safe school of interpretation of the musical classics. This had something to be said for it as a reaction against the libertarian excesses of some previous schools, but it descended into a facile mediocrity based to all intents and purposes on checklists and box-ticking, reaching its nadir in the 70's and 80's when the main aesthetic preoccupation in many commentaries was the issue of how many repeats had been observed. Myself, I am thoroughly in favour of professionalism from professional musicians, but on the other hand I don't find checklists a very illuminating guide through the gardens of the muses. It also seemed to me that our ideas of how to play Tchaikovsky were probably too influenced by our ideas of the Viennese classics, and the advent of Mravinsky in London came none to soon.
It was enlightening to me to compare Mravinsky's account of the 4th symphony with a fine modern version from Abbado and the Vienna Philharmonic. On the checklist approach Abbado does very well indeed. I don't impugn the professionalism of the Leningrad orchestra in any way when I suggest that they are not quite the equal technically of the Vienna players, something I noticed particularly in the pizzicato effects in the third movement. However when it came to the question which interpretation had the greater individuality and sense for the composer's idiom, the answer was not long in coming. Put simply, Mravinsky's performance is an event, and Abbado's, by comparison, is not. This is not a matter of taking undue liberties with the tempo. The 4th symphony does not call for that, and Mravinsky deploys only a very normal ebb and flow. The tone-quality has more to do with it, and I find myself bewitched by the penetrating sound of the Leningrad woodwind and brass, but most of all it's a matter of the expression. A great interpretation of Tchaikovsky must put across a sense of neurosis without losing control. Quite apart from the tragedy, gloom and semi-hysteria there must be a tense and nervy feel to the gaiety, and the lyric sections should seem like balm on wounds, and these are the senses I get uniquely from Mravinsky.
When it comes to the 5th, the liner-note has some fairly superficial and noncommittal remarks about freedom of tempo and `authenticity'. The issue here seems to me to be that Tchaikovsky is trying to achieve something more distinct than before from the Viennese style. The tightly integrated structure of a first movement at which Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven and Brahms were so adept was not his natural style, and he lacked their mastery in varying the lengths of musical phrases. His first movement is more a succession of short episodes, and without labouring the question of authenticity I'd say that the sense of the music demands a certain amount of flexilibity, although this composer does not micro-specify the details in the way Mahler does. As a comparison from a different standpoint I played my version from Celibadache. By contrast Mravinsky sounds the soul of `correctness', notably in the first movement where Celibadache starts the allegro at a funereal pace, getting much faster a little later. I don't recommend it as any model, but it has the feel of real Tchaikovsky to me, and I prefer it to any 10 spick-and-span western versions. So does Mravinsky, and I appreciate the comment in the liner that he shows some of the virtues of Toscanini and of Fuertwaengler combined.
With the 6th Tchaikovsky has finally got his formula right. Instead of a seamless Viennese first movement he writes great separate blocks of music, and Mravinsky plays the effect up with long pauses between them. In the finale he abandons `cyclic form', which doesn't amount to a form but is just a matter of bringing back themes from earlier movements in the finale. Brahms's 3rd shows how the thing can be done, but late romantic symphonists in general are not such musical aristocrats as Brahms. The device is something I learned to dread. Dvorak uses it, but not in his best works, it lets down even so great a composition as Franck's symphony, and in Tchaikovsky's 5th the matter is carried to such excess that it takes Mravinsky or Celibadache to make it tolerable to me. The 6th leaves all that behind, and I never heard a performance to equal this. I recall some comment many years ago to the effect that this 1960 stereo version is not the equal of his 1956 epoch-maker in mono, but I own both and I find little to choose.
This set, for me, is what Tchaikovsky is all about. The orchestral discipline is total, the sound is thrilling (compare Mravinsky at the start of any of these symphonies with anyone you like), this that and the next detail is better than in any other version, but it's the overall sense of communication of the personality of Russia's greatest composer that grips me. The question that the liner poses in its last paragraph is a false antithesis. The 6th shows Tchaikovsky at the height of his powers and is also a suicide note. Blackmail can never have had so eloquent an outcome.
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!
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!
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).
"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."
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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!
I admit it is interesting to learn about Pletnev's rather flashy religious conversion. It explains a lot about his "sleepiness" at the keyboard post 1990. (For some horrific examples of this bad trait, listen to his two Chopin albums, or his Rachmaninoff Third Piano Concerto, or his Scarlatti Sonatas - ugh. Where's the color, drive, and music in these performances?)
It also explains strange little comments made by some reviewers about Pletnev, stuff about "his truly human humility," "his deep, unaggressive humility," that sort of thing. If the Russian Orthodox religion is THAT boring - placing a premium on "humility" and "nonaggression" in artistic matters - then we're in for a lot of boring records by Mikhail. It isn't "touching" or "profound" to play the Rachmaninoff or Prokofiev Third as if you haven't had your morning coffee yet.
Sym. #1: We start off on a high point. This work, subtitled 'Winter Dreams,' is the most immature of the symphonies, relying on much repetition in place of solid sonata development, and at times it's hard to distinguish why this is a symphony and not part of a ballet suite. However, the melodies are gorgeous, and a conductor with real conviction can make the music come across. Abbado spins out the balletic first movement with energy and verve--it makes the often recommended Tilson Thomas version from Boston (on DG) seem overly refined. The lyrical second movement evokes real tenderness, the Scherzo (another balletic movement) skips along lightly but could use more rhythmic emphasis, and the finale, after an Andante lugubre introduction that could be darker, sweeps convincingly into the grand allegro, which has lots of punch and vitality. In all, an excellent performance. After you count in the fine sonics and the gorgeous playing of the Chicago Sym., Abbado outshines all his Western competition, including Karajan, Mehta, and Bernstein in their complete sets.
Sym. #2: Outstandings recordings of the First Sym. are thin on the ground, but not of the 'Little Russian,' which boasts a classic from Giulini (EMI) and a committed reading from Bernstein (Sony). Abbado has a great advantage in outstanding solo parts played with style and commitment by the Chicagoans--you won't hear better from Karajan's Berliners. Rather than aiming for folk-style earthiness, Abbado takes the work to be grander, more symphonically European. In that vein the first movement is convincing and thrilling. But the march that follows is reticent and fussy. The performance is back in form with an energetic, propulsive Scherzo, a total success. The finale is imposingly grand at the outset, rich with brass sonorities, and although the main allegro section sounds a bit fussed over, it has requisite vigor and enthusiasm. In sum, another success, much better played and recorded than esteemed rivals like Dorati on Mercury and Markevitch on Philips.
Sym. #3: The "Polish" Sym. is the problem child, a score so drawn out and balletic (Balanchine based his full-length "Jewels" on it) that few conductors can hold it together symphonically. It doesn't help matters that so much of the music hovers around Andante instead of a vigorous Allegro, or that the harmonies are often ambiguous. Abbado takes the shadowy first movement as a processional, delicately nuanced in the phrasing but moving along. It works well, but the next movement "Alla Tedesca" sounds exactly the same; he hasn't found any contrast in tempo or mood. The third movement, which is yet another shadowy andante, sounds inward and melancholy. By now the wandering nature of the piece has won out; attention begins to wander, to. Abbado doesn't find enough earthiness in the mercurial Scherzo to salvage matters, so we might as well give in and enjoy this as ballet. Tchaikovsky wants the finale to be played "with fire," but Abbado remains at low temperature, smooth and flowing. I've been highly critical here, so let it be said that none of Abbado's Western rivals do any better. Call this attempt to interpret a sprawling ballet-symphony a middling success, with reservations.
Sym. #4: The last three symphonies are meat for every great conductor, needless to say, so Abbado had little chance of rising to the very summit. He competes with himself, in fact, given that his Decca recording of the Fourth with the Vienna Phil. ranks among his best recordings from the Seventies. A good or even very good reading won't do, and that's about all that Abbado gives us. The CSO brass suddenly begin to snarl a bit, a la Solti, and softer passages get fussed over. The first movement fails to cohere convincingly, and one wonders exactly where the interpretation is going. Is this just big-band international Tchaikovsky? On the whole, yes. The oboe solo in the Andante flows by without much individuality or expression, and you realize that this music doesn't mean much to anyone here. The Scherzo is virtuosic without being thrilling. The finale is heavy and not fast enough to raise one's blood, immediately turning tepid in the lyrical second subject. All in all, not an inspired reading. In fact, a definite miss unless you simply must hear the CSO run thorugh its paces.
Sym. #5: Although much loved, the Fifth suffers from repeating the same motive in the first and last movements, as well as repetitive development sections that hammer simple rhythmic patterns over and over. To really succeed, an interpretation must be intense, dramatic, and played with edge of the seat intensity (in a word, the way Mravinsky does it). Abbado starts out with a full, broad statement that isn't premonitory enough (it doesn't promise great things to come), but no one can doubt how detailed and beautiful the playing is. There's a lot to be said for avoiding banality in this music or hollow grandiosity. Add in the outstanding Chicago playing (thankfully less blaring in the brass), and the first movement turns into a real success. Likewise the Andante, which begins with ravishing cellos and a natural, unforced solo horn. Here Abbado moves things along rather quickly, perhaps too much so for the music to tell as expressively as it might. But again, no sentimentality allowed. The waltz Scherzo is weaker in its characterization, coming off as well played but faceless. Up to this point, I've been feeling that Abbado's reading deserves respet, which is confirmed by a sober but full-voiced finale, the place where sentimentality and false heroics lay real traps. In all, I like this Fifth and rate it higher than the Fourth. Those who prefer blood-and-thunder won't agree. This is a Fifth for those who usually avoid the work.
Sym. #6: It's as difficult to produce a truly memorable 'Pathetique' as it is to produce a truly memorable Beethoven Fifth, and yet neither work ever misfires under a good conductor. So the challenge is greatness, pure and simple. Abbado had looming over his head Reiner's acclaimed Sixth with the same CSO in Living Stereo on RCA, a classic. Let's note right off that the playing and recording here are up to Reiner's standards. Reiner was a cool customer, perhaps the greatest technicin of his day. Abbado is cool, too, but without the intensity of a master craftsman. His 'Pathetique' is too loose-limbed at the beginning; one soon realizes that as with the Fourth, he has no pressing thing to say in this music. One episode follows another beautifully, if at times cautiously (E.g., a tepid second subject in the opening movement that needs to soar). The succeeding movements don't change that impression, even though everyone concerned tries to thrill us in the Scherzo, and do. Tchaikovksy's last symphony rises and falls on its tragic finale--I want a wrenching catharsis--but Abbado has decided that pathos is the dominant feeling. He's not alone in that, so if you want less than catharsis, here is a well-played finale that I find unmemorable. In all, I'd place Abbado's Sixth a little higher than the Fourth but well shy of the Fifth.
Overall judgement: I was surprised, given its lackluster reputation, that this is often a spectacular set, full of exciting playing. Abbado has no riveting conception in the last three symphonies, and in fact rises to his best in the First and Second. For overall conviction, I'd buy the Temirkanov set on RCA, but Abbado is more convincing to me than Karajan, and better in the early works than Bernstein. Experienced collectors will already have multiple favorites among the individual suymphonies and won't want a complete set. For them, Abbado's "Winter Dreams" is the overlooked gem.
However, Mravinsky seems a bit ordinary throughout. One misses the falvanic excitment and nervous tension that marked the stereo recordings. It's true that the finale of the Fifth, after a mild start, suddenly leaps and ahead with more vibrancy. but Mravinsky made a specialty of this work, and his several other recordings strike me as more successful. As for the Pathetique, he has several of those, too. This version lacks inner tension in the opening movement. You feel the conductor's concentration in the Scherzo, however, even if it lacks a degree of frenzy to tighten one's nerves. The finale moves along a course that's more melancholy than tragic, but that may be closer to the composer's intentions for all we know. In any event, this is a nice supplement to Mravinsky's stereo set, and far from negligible, but I'd only buy it at a bargain price given Sanderling's colorless contribution.
I'm not ordinarily a fan of "historical" recordings, which often means miserably recorded air checks of dubious provenance. These performances, however, are different, in that they sound very good given the live source material, and more importantly, they document Leopold Stokowski at his most insane. The end of the Fourth Symphony has to be heard to be believed--totally reorchestrated, no two bars in the same tempo--how the orchestra stays together is anyone's guess. If you're a Stokowski fan, you've got to hear this. --David Hurwitz
Tchaikovsky: Symphonies Nos. 4, 6 & 5/Overture 1812,Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky,Leopold Stokowski,American Symphony Orchestra,Japan Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra,London Symphony Orchestra,Royal Philharmonic Orchestra,Music & Arts Program,Classical,Orchestral,Romantic Overture for Orchestra,Romantic Symphony,Symphonic
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Tchaikovsky: Symphonies Nos. 4, 5 & 6
Mravinsky , and Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD  General
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ASIN: B000E0W24S Release Date: 2006-02-01 |
Tracks:
- Symphony No.4 In F Minor, Op.36
- Symphony No.5 In E Minor, Op.64
- Symphony No.6 In B Minor, Op.74 -"Pathique"
Album Details
There Has Never Been a More Legendary Set of Tchaikovsky's Last Three Symphonies Than These 1960 Interpretations Recorded in Stereo by Evgeny Mravinsky on Tour with the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra in London and Vienna.Customer Reviews:
Tchaikovsky Raw and Unrefined.......2007-07-23
Karajan's take on Tchaikovsky, as with much of his music, is very controlled, refined, silky smooth, and beautiful. The BPO and the Vienna Phil are great instruments allowing him to get the sound he wants. Karajan sometimes has been criticized for this elegance in sound. This is really unfair. The elegance is only part of the story. For example, if you listen to the early 60s Beethoven 5th or the 4th movement of Tchaikovsky's 5th you will find the playing to be very vigorous and exciting. On the one hand the playing is elegant; on the other the playing will rock the house. Tchaikovsky's symphony 5, 4th movement is one of the great hoots I have ever heard and will re cue it 2 or 3 times when I am walking.
At the other end of the spectrum is Mravinsky and his renditions of Tchaikovsky's last 3 numbered symphonies. The sound is raw, not refined. If the playing is elegant, this was not by design. The orchestral sound often is much smaller with the feel of a chamber ensemble. Once you hear these renditions, and then Karajan's, you will know why the elegance criticism has been lodged against Karajan.
Some of us from the land of PDQ Bach do not mind more than one take on a musical score! I am still waiting for the PDQ MOOG Tchaikovsky CD to hit the market. I do have Stokowski's Phase 4 Concert Series Tchaikovsky 5th LP that will do until the PDQ version comes out.
I have Mravinksy's Tchaikovsky in a 3 LP boxed set that had a 4th LP, Tchaikovsky Ballet orchestral suites, by Karajan thrown in as a bonus. The Mravinsky performances are distinctively different from Karajan's and are a thrill to hear. The first time I heard symphony 4, I must have muttered WOW 4 or 5 times. My sole criticism of these recordings is that the sound is not as good as one would want. Kinda like a garage band from Leningrad and Mravinsky is the leader of the band.
You should have plenty of room in your cyber space for both Karajan's and Mravinsky's Tchaikovsky and you will be missing out if you do not have both.
THE REAL RUSSIAN SOUND.......2007-04-25
These recordings certainly go some. And then some more. You'd be hard-pushed to find performances of anything that maintain such a white-hot level of intensity throughout three fairly long symphonies.
When Mravinsky brought the Leningrad Philharmonic to the West in 1956, both conductor and orchestra were a pretty unknown quantity. It was the height of the Cold War and, while a reputation preceded them, no-one was quite sure what to expect. Mravinsky and his assistant, Kurt Sanderling, shared the conducting of these last three Tchaikovsky symphonies and recorded them in mono then. Many people prefer those recordings to these stereo remakes of 4 years later. Personally, I prefer the later versions. It's good sound for its period, if slightly edgy in a way that suits the Leningrad sound well. It's in stereo. And you get Mravinsky in all three symphonies.
He is a master of this Russian repertoire - making it sound and feel very Russian indeed. He is certainly not afraid of bending and shaping things to his individual view of the works. There is usually a fairly heavy foot on the brake before lyrical second subjects. There is an impetuosity about faster movements that often requires modifications of tempo later. Rubato is frequent, often indulgent, but never wilful - it's always used to clarify texture, to give a melody its full weight or to emphasise structure (where there is structure rather than just a succession of events!). The brass fanfares of the very opening of the Fourth Symphony will have you on the edge of your seat and you will likely stay there for the rest of the 2-disc set. The pizzicato Scherzo has real style and panache. And the Finale sets off at an absolutely electrifying zip - a zip which it maintains right through to the end. And so it goes on through all these symphonies. The Pathetique in particular comes across as a real symphony rather than a wallow in Russian morbidity. There is huge power in the march. And the Finale plumbs true depths. Make no mistake: these are very special performances.
Mravinsky had the reputation of being a dictator in front of an orchestra. Certainly the sound that he produced from his Leningraders was very distinctive. Compared to the homogeneity of sound that we get from today's international, jet-setting orchestras where they all sound like clones of each other, it is sad to see the passing of these `national' schools of orchestral timbre. The Leningrad Philharmonic in those days boasted strong, virile yet warm string playing, an edgy tone to the woodwind that is excellent for penetrating dense orchestra textures (perhaps their instruments weren't top-notch and the lack of top-quality reeds in the Soviet Union may have had something to do with it, too), a certain stridency in the trumpet section and that totally unique Slav sound in the horns - lots of vibrato, slightly wobbly eve, but based, they said, on the human voice. They all play like demons for their long-term conductor. These are thrilling, moving, cogent, committed ensemble performances, all three. And, while I don't yet count myself a complete convert to the Tchaikovsky cause, I'm certainly ready to proselytise on behalf of such exceptional music-making.
WORTH the FOURTH!!!!.......2007-01-21
The other symphonies are quite good, but i feel there are better recordings out there (Gergiev Tchaik 6 is unbeatable).
What makes the 4th here so wonderful? Well, it's quite simply the ferver, commitment, and drive that these players muster up to push this wonderful symphony throughout.
It is extreme - the musicians are pushing themselves to the limits - which I feel is what Tchaikovsky is about. The playing on this disc is full of passion, which I would take over anything else in music. Passion.
A wonderful performance all around, you won't be dissapointed by symphonies 5 and 6 in the slightest, but I don't feel they are the best versions.
This CD is a MUST HAVE for all Tchaik fans.
DYNAMIC, BUT RATHER ONE DIMENSIONAL.......2006-07-15
But for more musically sophisticated and yet dramatic performances of these symphonies, I recommend Monteux and strangely enough, Klemperer. And why hasn't Munch's magnificent performance of #4 ever been released on CD?
TESTAMENT.......2006-05-15
This set dates from 1960, the height of the cold war, and at that time Mravinsky had been very little heard in what we used to call `the west'. It was a period when western critics were inclined to favour a smoothed-over play-safe school of interpretation of the musical classics. This had something to be said for it as a reaction against the libertarian excesses of some previous schools, but it descended into a facile mediocrity based to all intents and purposes on checklists and box-ticking, reaching its nadir in the 70's and 80's when the main aesthetic preoccupation in many commentaries was the issue of how many repeats had been observed. Myself, I am thoroughly in favour of professionalism from professional musicians, but on the other hand I don't find checklists a very illuminating guide through the gardens of the muses. It also seemed to me that our ideas of how to play Tchaikovsky were probably too influenced by our ideas of the Viennese classics, and the advent of Mravinsky in London came none to soon.
It was enlightening to me to compare Mravinsky's account of the 4th symphony with a fine modern version from Abbado and the Vienna Philharmonic. On the checklist approach Abbado does very well indeed. I don't impugn the professionalism of the Leningrad orchestra in any way when I suggest that they are not quite the equal technically of the Vienna players, something I noticed particularly in the pizzicato effects in the third movement. However when it came to the question which interpretation had the greater individuality and sense for the composer's idiom, the answer was not long in coming. Put simply, Mravinsky's performance is an event, and Abbado's, by comparison, is not. This is not a matter of taking undue liberties with the tempo. The 4th symphony does not call for that, and Mravinsky deploys only a very normal ebb and flow. The tone-quality has more to do with it, and I find myself bewitched by the penetrating sound of the Leningrad woodwind and brass, but most of all it's a matter of the expression. A great interpretation of Tchaikovsky must put across a sense of neurosis without losing control. Quite apart from the tragedy, gloom and semi-hysteria there must be a tense and nervy feel to the gaiety, and the lyric sections should seem like balm on wounds, and these are the senses I get uniquely from Mravinsky.
When it comes to the 5th, the liner-note has some fairly superficial and noncommittal remarks about freedom of tempo and `authenticity'. The issue here seems to me to be that Tchaikovsky is trying to achieve something more distinct than before from the Viennese style. The tightly integrated structure of a first movement at which Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven and Brahms were so adept was not his natural style, and he lacked their mastery in varying the lengths of musical phrases. His first movement is more a succession of short episodes, and without labouring the question of authenticity I'd say that the sense of the music demands a certain amount of flexilibity, although this composer does not micro-specify the details in the way Mahler does. As a comparison from a different standpoint I played my version from Celibadache. By contrast Mravinsky sounds the soul of `correctness', notably in the first movement where Celibadache starts the allegro at a funereal pace, getting much faster a little later. I don't recommend it as any model, but it has the feel of real Tchaikovsky to me, and I prefer it to any 10 spick-and-span western versions. So does Mravinsky, and I appreciate the comment in the liner that he shows some of the virtues of Toscanini and of Fuertwaengler combined.
With the 6th Tchaikovsky has finally got his formula right. Instead of a seamless Viennese first movement he writes great separate blocks of music, and Mravinsky plays the effect up with long pauses between them. In the finale he abandons `cyclic form', which doesn't amount to a form but is just a matter of bringing back themes from earlier movements in the finale. Brahms's 3rd shows how the thing can be done, but late romantic symphonists in general are not such musical aristocrats as Brahms. The device is something I learned to dread. Dvorak uses it, but not in his best works, it lets down even so great a composition as Franck's symphony, and in Tchaikovsky's 5th the matter is carried to such excess that it takes Mravinsky or Celibadache to make it tolerable to me. The 6th leaves all that behind, and I never heard a performance to equal this. I recall some comment many years ago to the effect that this 1960 stereo version is not the equal of his 1956 epoch-maker in mono, but I own both and I find little to choose.
This set, for me, is what Tchaikovsky is all about. The orchestral discipline is total, the sound is thrilling (compare Mravinsky at the start of any of these symphonies with anyone you like), this that and the next detail is better than in any other version, but it's the overall sense of communication of the personality of Russia's greatest composer that grips me. The question that the liner poses in its last paragraph is a false antithesis. The 6th shows Tchaikovsky at the height of his powers and is also a suicide note. Blackmail can never have had so eloquent an outcome.
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Tchaikovsky: Symphonies Nos. 1-6
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ASIN: B00035VV7I Release Date: 2004-11-09 |
Customer Reviews:
EXCITING PERFORMANCES VINTAGE STEREO SOUND BUT NOT SACD.......2005-09-27
Dorati's MLP Tchaikovsky Gems Are Back!.......2005-05-25
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!
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Tchaikovsky: Symphonies Nos. 4, 5, 6 "Pathetique"
Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Tchaikovsky
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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 LibbeyCustomer Reviews:
Towering Musical Masterpieces!.......2007-02-22
Passion --- passion........2007-01-22
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
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
"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
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Tchaikovsky: Symphonies Nos. 4, 5, 6
Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Tchaikovsky
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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
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
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
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
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
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Tchaikovsky: Symphonies Nos. 4-6
Manufacturer: Philips ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Tchaikovsky
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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 HurwitzCustomer Reviews:
Refined late Tchaikovsky from a maestro not always at his best.......2007-07-15
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
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
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
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
This Markevitch Tchiakovsky is like Faberge for the adornment of a Romanoff lady. And yet, look at the price! Congratulations to the producers for a superior reissue that will please everyone!
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Tchaikovsky: Symphonies Nos. 4, 5, 6
Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Tchaikovsky
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ASIN: B00008CLNX Release Date: 2003-04-08 |
Customer Reviews:
ONE OF THE VERY BEST EVER!!!.......2007-03-21
Which of Karajan's three late Tchaikovsky cycles to choose?.......2006-07-18
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
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
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!
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Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Symphonies Nos. 1-6 - Mikhail Pletnev
Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky , Mikhail Pletnev , and Russian National Orchestra Manufacturer: Polygram Int'l ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Tchaikovsky
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ASIN: B000001GSB Release Date: 2005-03-21 |
Tracks:
- Symphony No.1 In G Minor Op.13: Daydreams On A Wintry Road - P.I. Tchaikovsky
- Symphony No.1 In G Minor Op.13: O Land Of Gloom, O Land Of Mist! - P.I. Tchaikovsky
- Symphony No.1 In G Minor Op.13: Scherzo: Allegro scherzando giocoso - P.I. Tchaikovsky
- Symphony No.1 In G Minor Op.13: Finale: Andante lugubre - Allegro moderato - Allegro maestoso - Andante lugubre - Allegro vivo - P.I. Tchaikovsky
Tracks:
- Symphony No.2 In C Minor Op.17: Andante sostenuto - Allegro vivo
- Symphony No.2 In C Minor Op.17: Andantino marziale, quasi moderato
- Symphony No.2 In C Minor Op.17: Scherzo - Alegro molto vivace - Trio
- Symphony No.2 In C Minor Op.17: Moderato assai - Allegro vivo - Presto
- Symphony No.4 In F Minor Op.36: Andante sostenuto - Moderato con anima - Moderato assai, quasi Andante - Allegro vivo
- Symphony No.4 In F Minor Op.36: Andantino in modo di canzone
- Symphony No.4 In F Minor Op.36: Scherzo - Pizzicato ostinato - Allegro
- Symphony No.4 In F Minor Op.36: Finale- Allegro con fuoco
Tracks:
- Symphony No.3 In D Major Op.29: Introduzione e Allegro - Moderato assai (Tempo di marcia funebre) - Allegro brillante
- Symphony No.3 In D Major Op.29: Alla tedesca - Allegro moderato e semplice - Trio
- Symphony No.3 In D Major Op.29: Andante elegiaco
- Symphony No.3 In D Major Op.29: Scherzo - Allegro vivo - Trio
- Symphony No.3 In D Major Op.29: Finale - Allegro con fuoco (Tempo di Polacca)
Tracks:
- Symphony No.5 In E Minor Op.64: Andante - Allegro con anima
- Symphony No.5 In E Minor Op.64: Andante cantabile, con alcuna licenza - Moderato con anima - Andante mosso - Allegro non troppo - Tempo I
- Symphony No.5 In E Minor Op.64: Valse - Allegro moderato
- Symphony No.5 In E Minor Op.64: Finale - Andante maestoso - Allegro vivace - Molto vivace - Moderato assai e molto maestoso - Presto
Tracks:
- Symphony No.6 In B Minor Op. 74 'Pathetique': Adagio - Allegro non troppo - Andante - Moderato mosso Allegro vivo - Andante come prima - Andante mosso
- Symphony No.6 In B Minor Op. 74 'Pathetique': Allegro con grazia
- Allegro molto vivace
- Symphony No.6 In B Minor Op. 74 'Pathetique': Finale - Adagio lamentoso - Andante
Amazon.com
A disaster. These dull, lackluster performances demonstrate conclusively that, however interesting Mikhail Pletnev may be as a pianist, he simply does not yet know how to conduct an orchestra. How can you tell? Because as a pianist he's willful, rhapsodic, eccentric, but full of ideas and never boring. As a conductor, he's metronomic, reserved, inhibited, and simply unable to impress any interpretive character on the music at all. And despite the fact that these are recent digital recordings, they don't even sound that great. Avoid. --David HurwitzCustomer Reviews:
Not a bad conductor.......2007-05-18
I admit it is interesting to learn about Pletnev's rather flashy religious conversion. It explains a lot about his "sleepiness" at the keyboard post 1990. (For some horrific examples of this bad trait, listen to his two Chopin albums, or his Rachmaninoff Third Piano Concerto, or his Scarlatti Sonatas - ugh. Where's the color, drive, and music in these performances?)
It also explains strange little comments made by some reviewers about Pletnev, stuff about "his truly human humility," "his deep, unaggressive humility," that sort of thing. If the Russian Orthodox religion is THAT boring - placing a premium on "humility" and "nonaggression" in artistic matters - then we're in for a lot of boring records by Mikhail. It isn't "touching" or "profound" to play the Rachmaninoff or Prokofiev Third as if you haven't had your morning coffee yet.
You could do worse..........2003-03-06
More Exciting Tchaikovsky from Pletnev.......2000-02-12
This Sad Pletnev Story.......2000-02-07
Not the best around; but DEFINITELY not the worst...........1999-11-10
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Tchaikovsky: Symphonies Nos. 1-6; Orchestral Works (Limited Edition)
Manufacturer: Sony ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Tchaikovsky
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ASIN: B00006OA67 Release Date: 2002-01-01 |
Tracks:
- Symphony No 1 In G Minor
- Symphony No 2 In C Minor
- Symphony No 3 In D Major
- Symphony No 4 In F Minor
- Symphony No 5 In E Minor
- Symphony No 6 In B Minor
Customer Reviews:
Is Abbado better or worse in Tchaikovsky than his reputation?.......2007-02-17
Sym. #1: We start off on a high point. This work, subtitled 'Winter Dreams,' is the most immature of the symphonies, relying on much repetition in place of solid sonata development, and at times it's hard to distinguish why this is a symphony and not part of a ballet suite. However, the melodies are gorgeous, and a conductor with real conviction can make the music come across. Abbado spins out the balletic first movement with energy and verve--it makes the often recommended Tilson Thomas version from Boston (on DG) seem overly refined. The lyrical second movement evokes real tenderness, the Scherzo (another balletic movement) skips along lightly but could use more rhythmic emphasis, and the finale, after an Andante lugubre introduction that could be darker, sweeps convincingly into the grand allegro, which has lots of punch and vitality. In all, an excellent performance. After you count in the fine sonics and the gorgeous playing of the Chicago Sym., Abbado outshines all his Western competition, including Karajan, Mehta, and Bernstein in their complete sets.
Sym. #2: Outstandings recordings of the First Sym. are thin on the ground, but not of the 'Little Russian,' which boasts a classic from Giulini (EMI) and a committed reading from Bernstein (Sony). Abbado has a great advantage in outstanding solo parts played with style and commitment by the Chicagoans--you won't hear better from Karajan's Berliners. Rather than aiming for folk-style earthiness, Abbado takes the work to be grander, more symphonically European. In that vein the first movement is convincing and thrilling. But the march that follows is reticent and fussy. The performance is back in form with an energetic, propulsive Scherzo, a total success. The finale is imposingly grand at the outset, rich with brass sonorities, and although the main allegro section sounds a bit fussed over, it has requisite vigor and enthusiasm. In sum, another success, much better played and recorded than esteemed rivals like Dorati on Mercury and Markevitch on Philips.
Sym. #3: The "Polish" Sym. is the problem child, a score so drawn out and balletic (Balanchine based his full-length "Jewels" on it) that few conductors can hold it together symphonically. It doesn't help matters that so much of the music hovers around Andante instead of a vigorous Allegro, or that the harmonies are often ambiguous. Abbado takes the shadowy first movement as a processional, delicately nuanced in the phrasing but moving along. It works well, but the next movement "Alla Tedesca" sounds exactly the same; he hasn't found any contrast in tempo or mood. The third movement, which is yet another shadowy andante, sounds inward and melancholy. By now the wandering nature of the piece has won out; attention begins to wander, to. Abbado doesn't find enough earthiness in the mercurial Scherzo to salvage matters, so we might as well give in and enjoy this as ballet. Tchaikovsky wants the finale to be played "with fire," but Abbado remains at low temperature, smooth and flowing. I've been highly critical here, so let it be said that none of Abbado's Western rivals do any better. Call this attempt to interpret a sprawling ballet-symphony a middling success, with reservations.
Sym. #4: The last three symphonies are meat for every great conductor, needless to say, so Abbado had little chance of rising to the very summit. He competes with himself, in fact, given that his Decca recording of the Fourth with the Vienna Phil. ranks among his best recordings from the Seventies. A good or even very good reading won't do, and that's about all that Abbado gives us. The CSO brass suddenly begin to snarl a bit, a la Solti, and softer passages get fussed over. The first movement fails to cohere convincingly, and one wonders exactly where the interpretation is going. Is this just big-band international Tchaikovsky? On the whole, yes. The oboe solo in the Andante flows by without much individuality or expression, and you realize that this music doesn't mean much to anyone here. The Scherzo is virtuosic without being thrilling. The finale is heavy and not fast enough to raise one's blood, immediately turning tepid in the lyrical second subject. All in all, not an inspired reading. In fact, a definite miss unless you simply must hear the CSO run thorugh its paces.
Sym. #5: Although much loved, the Fifth suffers from repeating the same motive in the first and last movements, as well as repetitive development sections that hammer simple rhythmic patterns over and over. To really succeed, an interpretation must be intense, dramatic, and played with edge of the seat intensity (in a word, the way Mravinsky does it). Abbado starts out with a full, broad statement that isn't premonitory enough (it doesn't promise great things to come), but no one can doubt how detailed and beautiful the playing is. There's a lot to be said for avoiding banality in this music or hollow grandiosity. Add in the outstanding Chicago playing (thankfully less blaring in the brass), and the first movement turns into a real success. Likewise the Andante, which begins with ravishing cellos and a natural, unforced solo horn. Here Abbado moves things along rather quickly, perhaps too much so for the music to tell as expressively as it might. But again, no sentimentality allowed. The waltz Scherzo is weaker in its characterization, coming off as well played but faceless. Up to this point, I've been feeling that Abbado's reading deserves respet, which is confirmed by a sober but full-voiced finale, the place where sentimentality and false heroics lay real traps. In all, I like this Fifth and rate it higher than the Fourth. Those who prefer blood-and-thunder won't agree. This is a Fifth for those who usually avoid the work.
Sym. #6: It's as difficult to produce a truly memorable 'Pathetique' as it is to produce a truly memorable Beethoven Fifth, and yet neither work ever misfires under a good conductor. So the challenge is greatness, pure and simple. Abbado had looming over his head Reiner's acclaimed Sixth with the same CSO in Living Stereo on RCA, a classic. Let's note right off that the playing and recording here are up to Reiner's standards. Reiner was a cool customer, perhaps the greatest technicin of his day. Abbado is cool, too, but without the intensity of a master craftsman. His 'Pathetique' is too loose-limbed at the beginning; one soon realizes that as with the Fourth, he has no pressing thing to say in this music. One episode follows another beautifully, if at times cautiously (E.g., a tepid second subject in the opening movement that needs to soar). The succeeding movements don't change that impression, even though everyone concerned tries to thrill us in the Scherzo, and do. Tchaikovksy's last symphony rises and falls on its tragic finale--I want a wrenching catharsis--but Abbado has decided that pathos is the dominant feeling. He's not alone in that, so if you want less than catharsis, here is a well-played finale that I find unmemorable. In all, I'd place Abbado's Sixth a little higher than the Fourth but well shy of the Fifth.
Overall judgement: I was surprised, given its lackluster reputation, that this is often a spectacular set, full of exciting playing. Abbado has no riveting conception in the last three symphonies, and in fact rises to his best in the First and Second. For overall conviction, I'd buy the Temirkanov set on RCA, but Abbado is more convincing to me than Karajan, and better in the early works than Bernstein. Experienced collectors will already have multiple favorites among the individual suymphonies and won't want a complete set. For them, Abbado's "Winter Dreams" is the overlooked gem.
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Tchaikovsky: Symphonies Nos. 4, 5 & 6
Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Tchaikovsky
| Tchaikovsky, Peter Ilyich
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ASIN: B000001GQG Release Date: 1996-02-13 |
Tracks:
- Symphonie No. 4 In F Minor Op.36: 1. Andante sostenuto - Moderato con anima - Moderato assai, quasi Andante - Allegro vivo
- Symphonie No. 4 In F Minor Op.36: 2. Andantino in modo di canzone
- Symphonie No. 4 In F Minor Op.36: 3. Scherzo. Pizzicato ostinato. Allegro
- Symphonie No. 4 In F Minor Op.36: 4. Finale. Allegro con fuoco
- Symphonie No 5 In E Minor Op.64: 1. Andante - Allegro con anima
- Symphonie No 5 In E Minor Op.64: 2. Andante cantabile con alcuna licenza - Moderato con anima - Andante mosso - Allegro non troppo - Tempo I
Tracks:
- Symphony No. 5: 3. Valse. Allegro moderato
- Symphony No. 5: 4. Finale. Andante maestoso - Allegro vivace - Molto vivace - Moderato assai e molto maestoso - Presto
- Symphonie No.6 In B Minor Op.74: 1. Adagio - Allegro non troppo
- Symphonie No.6 In B Minor Op.74: 2. Allegro con grazia
- Symphonie No.6 In B Minor Op.74: 3. Allegro molto vivace
- Symphonie No.6 In B Minor Op.74: 4. Finale. Adagio lamentoso
Amazon.com
Evgeni Mravinsky recorded stunning stereo versions of the last three Tchaikovsky symphonies for Deutsche Grammophon, and those recordings remain the foundation of any Tchaikovsky record collection. These earlier mono versions have their admirers, and they are every bit as fine, but if you have the stereo recordings, there's no reason to opt for these unless you're a serious Mravinsky maven. On this set, Kurt Sanderling conducts the Fourth--a performance as different from Mravinsky's as it is possible to imagine, but equally legitimate in its Teutonic seriousness. --David HurwitzCustomer Reviews:
A nice supplement for Mravinsky lovers.......2006-11-14
However, Mravinsky seems a bit ordinary throughout. One misses the falvanic excitment and nervous tension that marked the stereo recordings. It's true that the finale of the Fifth, after a mild start, suddenly leaps and ahead with more vibrancy. but Mravinsky made a specialty of this work, and his several other recordings strike me as more successful. As for the Pathetique, he has several of those, too. This version lacks inner tension in the opening movement. You feel the conductor's concentration in the Scherzo, however, even if it lacks a degree of frenzy to tighten one's nerves. The finale moves along a course that's more melancholy than tragic, but that may be closer to the composer's intentions for all we know. In any event, this is a nice supplement to Mravinsky's stereo set, and far from negligible, but I'd only buy it at a bargain price given Sanderling's colorless contribution.
Better Than I Remember.......2000-12-31
I really loved that recording -- especially for the pace and force of the 4th movement. Some years later I bought the DG stereo remake, which struck me as a more polished recording overall, but less exciting. For example, I missed the running counterpoint beneath the 4th movts. 2nd subject: it begins in the winds, then the subject is repeated -- enlarged -- by the violins, with horns and basses running beneath. The physical sense of foreward motion is remarkably intense.
Now all this and more is again available in even better, cleaner sound than was offered on the old Deccas.
Originally, the Fifth was also available in a Decca boxed set that included the Fourth and Sixth Symphonies and the Rachmaninoff Second Symphony, which, like the Tschaikovsky Fourth, was conducted by Kurt Sanderling. The Rachmaninoff was the only uncut version available at that time; it has been released on CD as DG 289449 767-2. Sanderling has recorded some fine Sibelius and Shostakovich recently. In the late 1930s he chose to flee the Nazis by going east and found a haven in Soviet Russia. After the war he continued to pursue his career in eastern Europe.
Clearly, this set is not for everyone -- is there ANY recording for everyone? I have yet to find a stereo Pathetique to match either Mravinsky in this set or the 1938 Furtwaengler/Berlin Philharmonic recording -- the only recordings I own, aside from a number of tapes made from radio and television broadcasts.
Mravinksy's First Edition of Tchaikovsky's Symphonies 5&6.......2000-06-19
I first read about these performances in 1961, when they were still available on American Decca. Ironically, they were mentioned in rather unfavorable reviews of the stereo versions which had been just released. Most reviewers found the earlier mono versions more committed and passionate in interpretation and did not find the sonics of the latter versions a significant improvement over the earlier ones. Comparing the timings of the two editions, the earlier ones are marginally slower, the exception being the March-Scherzo of the Pathetique, which is much slower in the earlier recording. Upon listening, I found the earlier recordings to be indeed more relaxed, lusher, and more smoothly (or perhaps blandly) phrased than the latter edition. In part, this may be due to the more distant and euphonous sound of the mono recordings. Coming then to the latter versions was a shock; here was strong, pointed phrasing, sheer elemental force (NOT mere briskness) that made the 5th sound like a truly heroic and noble work, and the "Pathetique" as a terrifyingly realistic portrayal of a Manic-Depressive Episode.
I'm afraid this Beethovenish strength is lacking in the earlier version, in which Tchaikovsky sounds merely like a spinner of pretty, sweet tunes; in the latter version, he sounds like a master builder and dramatist.
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Tchaikovsky: Symphonies Nos. 4 & 6 "Pathétique"
Manufacturer: Testament UK ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Tchaikovsky
| Tchaikovsky, Peter Ilyich
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ASIN: B0001XLXB6 Release Date: 2004-08-10 |
Customer Reviews:
Not So Terrific Tchaikovsky.......2005-04-03
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- The Making of a Medium: Music Written for the Verdehr Trio, Vol. 3
- The Making of a Medium, Vol. 2
- The Rosalyn Tureck Collection, Vol. 4: Harpsichord Recital All Bach Program
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