Tchaikovski Symphonies

So let me give you a couple of suggestions..., fresh and new...24/44.1

Old but still interesting - f.i. on prostudiomaster..24/96

Fresh and new Grammophone choice 24/96

A review of Tchaikovsky's 6th symphony (which is my favourite) was broadcast on Record Review on BBC Radio 3 recently. This can still be found on the BBC R3 website. This might prove useful in your exploration. 

Thanks Bert, Clive, I'll check your suggestions out and report back.

I fully endorse Bert's recommendation for the Vasily Petrenko recordings - superb, exciting and well worth hearing.  If you wish to explore Tchaikovsky further, can I suggest his Piano Trio - Argerich/Kremer/Maisky on DG or the Kempf trio on the BIS label.  Also, don't forget to add his Manfred Symphony.  Good luck and enjoy!

Have bought the full set by Petrenko. Will take time to listen them all, first observation is that its a technically correct performance - which is something.

The hires files sound nice and smooth on my young Chord Mojo.

Can't turn up the volume at this time - kids are asleep - but somewhere next week I'll find my moments.

Your search is somewhat pointless  Once you have heard Mravinsky's DG versions of the last three symphonies (which you have), all other version will sound as dull as dish water 

They are simply staggering.

The 4th by Haitink and the Amsterdam Concertgebauw.

Surprised at no mentions for Janssons, Oslo Phil. Cycle on Chandos. For a long time this was Gramophone top pick. Still very impressive both musically and sonically.

a brilliant performance by Svetlanov's not to be overlooked -

Ormandy always worth a listen...

Thanks folks, it takes time to compare :-) I'm enjoying it.

I especially like the second movement of the first symphony - I did already like it before this exercise.

The second movement of the first symphony is like a story which is told in a dream. At the end of this second movement, you can hear the bells ringing and the dreamer returning to reality.

I have never read anything about Tchaikovsky - so I could be entirely wrong - but in my perception this second movement was his first masterpiece in orchestration. Writing a monothematic symphonic piece of about 11/12 minutes on a quite simple theme and fully keep the listeners attention is really a magic thing.

What I do not like to the newer performances which I did listen, is that the tempo is a bit too fast. When this romantic music is performed too fast, the music gets narrower.  But it must be wide, wide as the gates to heaven. So wide that the music entirely circumvents the listener.

But what I do like is that modern performances make the music more transparent by highlighting the individual parts. But ... I got annoyed by a parallel octave in the first Symphony. First the bassoon and first violins are individual parts, and suddenly they double each other without a cadense. Not forbidden in the romantic period, but being a baroque guy, I'm sensitive to this.

Back to work ...

Michael_B. posted:

Ormandy always worth a listen...

His performance of the Violin concert in D by Tchaikovsky is my favorite performance. I've compared Perlman - being the solo violist with Janine Jansen and I must conclude that Jansen is not quite on the same level. The attention curve / tention by Ormandy and Perlman is fabulous all the way to the end of the piece, not a single weak point. Also, the solo cadense is brilliant.