Tchaikovsky at His Best
920657
A wonderful performance conducted by someone who clearly has great sympathy for, and understanding of, the music, its structure and the intent of the composer. The last of the composer's works, the 6th is arguably Tchaikovsky's finest; this is music performed close to the pinnacle of perfection and will be a lasting tribute to the memory of the tragically troubled life of one of the finest and most-loved of the 19th century Russian composers. A first-rate addition to any collection of the works of the great classical composers.
4436904
Antal Dorati was the Toscanini for ballet music as well as Tchaikovsky's music. In the 60's and 70's, he conducted all over Europe and recorded LP's for distribution in America. This Nutcracker was orginally an LP, the Nutcracker in its entirety with the addition of Tchaikovsky's Serenade For Strings. There are many fine interpretations of the beloved Christmas classic, one of which Charles Mackerras' version strikes us as the best. But Dorati has precision and perfectionist zeal that makes the score to the ballet sound more true to the Russian spirit that Tchaikovsky blended with European elegance and symphonic treatment. Sentimentality was always Tchaikovsky's strong points, endowed with musical genius and tonal color and lavished attention to every individual instrument.
The original liner notes for the LP are to be found here, documenting the life of Tchaikovsky and the background for his creating the ballet based on E.T.A. Hoffman's dark fairy tale, The Nutcracker. It is the tale of Clara, how one evening at a family Christmas party she was given a Nutcracker as a toy, how it magically comes to life and defeats the Mouse King and his minions. Clara is whisked away into the magical dream world of Act 2. Through divertissements, dance sequences with no plot to further the story, she encounters Spanish dancers, an Arab dancer, Chinese dancers, Russian Trepak dancers and an incredibly sweeping, romantic Waltz of Flowers. There is solo for the Nutcracker who has become a Prince by Act 2 and a pas de deux between him and Clara. The Pas De Deux is without question, the most romantic, intense and symphonic number in the whole ballet, evoking a climatic union of beauty and that dark fatalism that seems to permeate a lot of Tchaikovsky's music. For the Nutcracker, Tchaikovsky used celeste, a variation of the piano instrument, in the dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, and was very proud that the other Russian composers, Mussorgsky and Borodin had not beat him to it.
This is the best recording avaible and it is a bonus that it comes with a well orchestrated Serenade For Strings, a melodic, well structured piece of string music that Tchaikovsky wrote as a tribute to the Countess Von Meck who inspired his music and sponsored him financially. It is light, it is dark and it is rich in string symphonic style. Tchaikovsky's music is at best the most romantic and inspiring of his time. Kudos for the producers of this fine recording.
For years, I have been a collector of ballet music and have taught dance as well. Tchaikovsky was a brilliant man, a tortured man, whose sexuality was forbidden by Russian law and who out of the depths of his pain, forged the most beautiful and most seriously romantic music of the nineteenth century, finding himself the equal to Beethoven.
2742845
At the youthful age of only 29, Tchaikovsky managed to make one of the most profound pieces of his career and most heard piece in our culture today.  "Romeo and Juliet" is a magnificent piece that captures the passion and tragic fate of Shakespeare's most famous work.  The love theme in Romeo and Juliet portrays Romeo and Juliet's love better than any other, even Prokoffiev's famous version adapted for a play.  "Capriccio Italien", less dark and heavy as the latter piece, is a pleasant contrast, complete with Italian-influenced songs and harmony.  Dover's wonderful release of the full scores to these two well-known pieces gives people the chance to study and further appreciate these masterpieces.  The complexity of these works can no greater be expressed than by looking through this book alone.  It is a great source of knowledge for anyone interested in music theory and a treasure trove of experience for anybody interested in orchestration.  This book deserves to be in any classical enthusiast's bookshelf.
3498226
i've heard several recordings of prokofiev's most famous and most delightful ballet, and this is by far my favorite. unlike the usual "concert" approach to this score (maazel, ozawa, thomas), which emphasizes the dramatic narrative and treats the music as a massive tone poem, gergiev and his orchestra infuse the music with an irresistible dance energy, exactly as it would be played in a ballet performance. i often found myself tapping my foot or whistling along with the music, carried away by the spirit. the recorded sound is crisp and clear, and the orchestral playing is superb. absolutely enjoyable, start to finish. (a single cd release of excerpts from this two cd recording is also available from philips.)
3553225
These are absolutely gorgeous recordings of both pieces. Indeed, these are the first ever recordings of both pieces, both recorded just months after their world premieres in the USSR, in 1956 and 1959. Sony have done an excellent job with the remastering, and the sound is crisp and clean.

As for the playing - Oistrakh and Rostropovich in their prime, with Shostakovich present and advising during both recordings - what more needs to be said. Shostakovich dedicated the First Cello Concerto to Rostropovich, his pupil and friend, and he almost seems to breathe the music. Oistrakh is magnificent in the Violin Conecrto, especially in the fast and furious finale. The New York Philharmonic under Mitropoulos and the Phildaelphia Orchestra under Ormandy are pretty damn good as well, and both pieces are fiendishly difficult in places.

Sorry this is praise is a little over the top, but it is entirely deserved!
4511403
Absolutely first rate performances of two relatively neglected Prokofiev masterpieces, Symphonies 6 & 7, by the Cleveland Orchestra with Ashkenazy at the helm. Strong performances also of the much better known Symphonies 1 & 5 with the Concertgebouw of Amsterdam under Ashkenazy.  Definitely worthwhile, and at a bargain price to boot!
3245660
I believe Walter recorded only one Tchaikovsky work commercially: the Sixth Symphony, acoustically, in 1924.  This CD contains air checks of live broadcast performances, and as such, is quite acceptable.  The Romeo & Juliet is a respectable performance, but not memorable.  The Fifth Symphony is quite another case. In those days, it was conventional practice either to approach Tchaikovsky from the wildly personal viewpoint (Mengelberg, Stokowski) or from the extremely straightforward viewpoint (Toscanini, Beecham).  Walter, who was usually straightforward, chooses both approaches in this performance of the Fifth, and in doing so, gives us a wild interpretive ride.  He was always better in live performances than he was in the recording studio, where most of his records were made, and like other great conductors, he conducted the audience as  much as the orchestra, which, after all, had already been set as to how they were going to play the work anyhow.  The stick waving is for the audience.  I saw him conduct a third-rate San Francisco Symphony in a first-rate performance of Bruckner's Ninth Symphony.  I recommend this issue enthusiastically
284411
It seems ANYTHING this phenomenon sings is a joy to listen to.  An opera lover for 70 years, she is the best I have ever heard, and even more spectacular to watch.  Even minor-key, slow sad Russian songs sound good when performed by Anna Netrebko.  I grab anything I find with her.  Too bad there isn't more available in this country.
729453
Because Rostropovich dominated cello playing for three decades, it's easy to glaze over at his huge output. However, this is certainly one of his greatest recordings--two, in fact. The first is a live version of Britten's late, rather unreachable Cello Symphony, written for Rostropovich after the two became fast friends in the early Sixties. Enigmatic as the idiom can be, the soloist plunges in with such tremendous passion that it's enough to carry any listener along. The occasion was a visit by the left-leaning Britten to Moscow, and although the sound is mono, it is vivid and dramatic, with the cello placed right up at the mike. The Russian musicians play with raw enthusiasm, and of course Britten was the supreme conductor of his own works.

The second big work is the Shostakovich Cello Concerto #1, also written for Rostropovich. He has also given us a notable American premiere recording under Ormandy (Sony) and a live account on BBC Legends, but this Moscow one under Rozhdestvensky is raw, tense, almost hectically fast at times, and uniquely intense. There are lots of very fine recordings of this masterpiece, but I doubt anyone can duplicate Rostropovich's total abandon. The mono sound is again very good, but expect audience coughs in both performances, often at just the wrong moment.
3956080
I own six different recordings of Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture and this one is my absolute favorite. I wish someone would digitize it.
175325
I've taken notice in the last few months to the fact that Russian orchestras seem to play Russian music really, really well.  This CD is a fine example to back up that observance.  Pletnev is incredible in his  speed on some of these pieces, and the orchestra is even moreso in its  ability to keep up.  I've never heard "Russlan & Ludmilla"  played so quickly (the CSO/Solti take 8 seconds longer), and it's really  pretty nifty hearing unison strings playing as quickly as possible.  The  clarinet solo towards the end of Borodin is outright gorgeous, and  Shostakovich's Festival Overture is (for lack of more clever terming  ability) quite festive indeed.  The rest of the disc is an assortment of  delights, including (among other things) an early Tchaikovsky piece.  Overall it's a lot of fun and a treat to listen to.
518426
In my opinion, Glazunov is one of many underappreciated Russian composers. His orchestral music is hauntingly beautiful and unmistakeably Russian. It deserves more audience, yet unfortunately it is not performed or aired all that often. I have found this box set to be exquisitely and fantastically gorgeous. This interpretation of the symphonies conveys the richness of the late romantic Russian atmosphere as I imagine it to have been and the Saxophone Concerto is a rare gem in the classical music repertoire beautifully performed by Marc Chisson on this occasion. I highly recommend this set, it is magnificent.
This is what you get.
Jose Serebrier conducting Royal Scottish National Orchestra (CD 1-6) and Russian National Orchestra (CD 7-8)
CD 1: Symphony No 3 in D major, Op 33; Symphony No 9 in D major "Unfinished"
CD 2: Symphony No 2 in F sharp minor, Op 16; Symphony No 1 in E major Op 5 "Slavyanskaya"
CD 3: Symphony No 4 in E flat major Op 48; Symphony No 7 in F major Op 77 "Pastoral"
CD 4: Symphony No 5 in B flat major Op 55; The Seasons Op 67
CD 5: Symphony No 6 in C minor Op 58; La Mer Op 28; Introduction and Dance from Salome Op 90
CD 6: Symphony No 8 in E flat major Op 83; Raymonda- Suite from the Ballet Op 57a
CD 7: Violin Concerto in A minor Op 82 (Rachel Barton Pine - violin); Chant du menestrel Op 71 (Wen-Sinn Yang - cello); Piano Concerto No 2 in B major Op 100 (Alexander Romanovsky- piano); Concerto in E flat major for Alto Saxophone and String Orchestra Op 109 (Marc Chisson- alto saxophone)
CD 8: Piano Concerto No 1 in F minor Op 92 (Alexander Romanovsky- piano); Reverie in D flat major for Horn and Orchestra Op 24 (Alexey Serov - French Horn); Concerto Ballata in C major for Cello and Orchestra Op 108 (Wen-Sinn Yang - cello) ; Meditation in D major for Violin and Orchestra Op 32 (Rachel Barton Pine - violin)
1387163
The third installment of the Tchaikovsky Cycle has the Third Symphony ("Polish"), an altogether serene, fairly long, five-movement symphonic suite often reminiscent of ballet, melodically rich and pleasing. Fedoseyev and his Muscovites deliver the piece with great panache and make you wonder why it is so rarely heard in the concert halls. Fittingly, it is followed by nine excerpts from the "Swan Lake" ballet, dazzlingly and lovingly played with a smile. This is a crowd pleaser, and the Frankfurt audience responds accordingly. The Concert Fantasia for Piano and Orchestra is a strange, dreamlike score that suggests both improvisation and meandering association: a musical interior monologue. It might be ranked among the composer's "lesser" works and is rarely performed. Pianist Mikhail Pletnev and the various orchestral soloists in their dialogue with the piano shine out wonderfully, but the piece has altogether not enough thematic or structural cohesion. If anything, the team effort shows how a top-notch performance can instill new life in a problematic composition.
1998701
This is an excellent collection of Tchaikovsky performances, all with Neeme J&auml;rvi conducting the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and originally recorded and released by BIS on separate discs during the period 2004-2009.

Disc 1:
- Symphony No. 1 in G minor, `Winter Daydreams', Op. 13
- The Snow Maiden, Op. 12 --  Introduction, Entr'acte, Melodrama, Dance of the Buffoons
- Romeo and Juliet, Fantasy Overture after Shakespeare

Disc 2:
- Symphony No. 2 in C minor, `Little Russian', Op. 17 (1879 version)
- Overture in F major (1866 version)
- Festive Overture on the Danish National Anthem in D major, Op. 15 (1892 version)
- The Storm (Groza), Overture, Op. 76

Disc 3:
- Symphony No. 3 in D major, `Polish', Op. 29
- from the opera The Voyevoda, Op. 3 -- Entr'acte and Dances of the Chambermaids
- Dmitri the Pretender and Vassily Shuisky -- Introduction to Act I. Andante non troppo, Mazurka
- Serenade for Nikolai Rubinstein's Name Day
- from Eugene Onegin, Op. 24 -- Entr'acte and Waltz

Disc 4:
- Symphony No. 4 in F minor
- Serenade for Strings in C major, Op. 48
- Elegy in Memory of I.V. Samarin for string orchestra

Disc 5:
- Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64
- The Voyevoda, symphonic ballad, Op. 78
- Capriccio italien, Op. 45

Disc 6:
- Symphony No. 6 in B minor, `Path&eacute;tique', Op. 74
- Francesca da Rimini, fantasy for orchestra, Op. 32

Most, but not all, of the music included in this box set (all of the symphonies, and some of the other orchestral works) can also be obtained as a very inexpensive .mp3 download here on Amazon:&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Tchaikovsky-100-Supreme-Classical-Masterpieces-Rise-of-the-Masters/dp/B005W29340/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Tchaikovsky - 100 Supreme Classical Masterpieces: Rise of the Masters</a>. As I write this review, that download is available for just over two dollars here on Amazon. It also includes a number of other excellent performances as well (see the details at the link). I have this music through purchase of the download, and am very pleased with it.
314401
One of Tchaikovsky's most beautiful and melodious scores with brilliant singing to boot!  Orlov was one of the great Soviet conductors and the singers are all topnotch.  Rozhdestvenskaya's heavy metal Russian school soprano may take a little getting used to, but she's really wonderful if you can adjust to her style.  She was Rozhdestvensky's mother, by the way.  You can also hear young Dolukhanova in the trouser role of Basmanov, and you will realize why she was a much adored artist of the Soviet era.  She really could sing anything.

I do not understand why the Rozhdestvensky recording of Oprichnik has been released and re-released.  It is completely inferior to the Orlov recording, which is one of the best opera recordings in my collection.  The one benefit from the Rozhdestvensky recording is that it originally came with a libretto.  If given a choice, though, the Orlov is the vastly superior recording.
2785221
The most popular and greatest piano concerto in all classical music, along with one of the most popular and greatest violin concertos ever, are given outstanding performances on this album.  Sheer greatness and unsurpassed beauty is this music by Peter Ilyich.  So are these performances.  For sure.
382131
Herbert Von Karajan mastered Tchaikovsky's symphonic form, as this set of Tchaikovsky's last three symphonies attest. Karajan conducted the ballet suites to Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty and Nutcracker with great acclaim. I own those concert suites and this recording of the 4th, 5th and 6th symphonies, largely considered Tchaikovsky's most mature and musically powerful orchestral works. Far from being balletic pieces in the guise of symphonies, Karajan delivers the innately Russian fire and visceral qualities to some parts of the music. While the 4th is restrained, stately and somewhat dance-like and purely melodic, the 5th and 6th acquire a Beethovenesque and sometimes even Wagnerian quality. The 5th was a powerful piece of music, and eventhough it's quite long, it is exciting and climatic, and if done right, there is never a dull moment. Karajan is in his element conducting the 5th in particular. I can't describe in words the grandeur, the dramatic thrust and thrill it gives one upon hearing it. Karajan saw more than a romantically tragic figure in Tchaikovsky, he saw a Russian form of Mahler. The music is naked, raw and intense, and never more so than in the Pathetique. This last symphony was Tchaikovsky's Requiem in the form of a symphony. All his angst, his suffering, his crisis and his frustrations were expressed in harsh, intense and brutal music. It is one long cry of pain and a blow that brings death. Death looms large over the whole piece. Tchaikovsky, being the romantic he was, believed in the power of fate and felt his time was up, and that he was cursed for being gay. I'm very sure he felt this way for the music tells us so. Karajan gives the music an additional dimension of humanity and definate passion. The Berlin Philharmonic has never sounded better, and they harmonics and acoustics are great. The string section in particular is providing us with great musical execution. The trumpet, likewise, is terrifying and prophetic. This is probably the greatest rendition of the symphonies commercially available, but I would still consider Antal Dorati, Mariss Jansons and Claudio Abbado's recordings of these last symphonies.