If one were to take
Tchaikovsky at his own word, his entire
repertoire would have been dismissed
a century ago as the mediocre drivel
of a man who had nothing to say. That
was his normal take on his own works.
In his letters and diaries, he often
would state that his finished works
were worthless, and he might not bother
to waste anyone’s time by writing again.
In 1888, after what seemed to him an
endless dry spell, he wrote to his patron,
Madame Nadezhda von Meck, "My symphony
is finished ... There is something repellent
about it ... This symphony will never
please the public." Interestingly
enough, that so-called "repellent"
work was to become one of his most performed
pieces, the epic and energetic Symphony
No. 5.
The entire work is
based around a single theme, which is
intended to represent an anthropomorphized
Fate. Initially played on the lowest
register of the clarinet, the theme
introduces the first movement, is evocative
of a distant funeral procession and,
as the symphony progresses, returns
in various guises. It is sometimes wistful,
at other times imposing; sometimes passing
like a ghost through the violins at
other times rumbling through the bassoons
and clarinets. The predominant emotion
inclines toward optimism until Tchaikovsky
transforms his Fate theme into a triumphal
march.
The Leipzig performance
is very nicely done, although recorded
perhaps too quietly at the beginning
of the first movement. While the piece
is easily heard on a home stereo system
but one would not, for instance, be
able to do much with it in a moving
vehicle or on an airplane until several
minutes in. On the other hand, this
is exactly the effect one would want
in a live performance or in a recital
hall. Therefore, if the listener is
accustomed to listening intently to
a performance this would be considered
a positive.
The energy throughout
is very nicely conveyed. The final movement
is one of the composer’s more exuberant
and triumphant inspirations, representing,
in Tchaikovsky’s mind, a "complete
submission to Fate." The timpani
and winds come forth in impressive fashion
and to great effect. For four full movements,
the performance is very nice and quite
well balanced.
Following the Fifth
Symphony is one of Tchaikovsky’s most
beloved works, Romeo and Juliet –
Fantasy Overture, which is often
considered to be his first true masterpiece.
This tone-poem was commissioned
as an introduction for the famous Shakespearean
drama and first performed in 1870. As
in Symphony 5, the introduction of the
work is a theme symbolizing Fate. The
main subject material depicts the feuding
Montagues and Capulets with the more
familiar contrasting theme representing
Romeo and Juliet’s love for each other.
As the piece unfolds, the chorale and
feud motifs play off each other until
the love theme reappears and briefly
dominates in its heightened form. It
doesn’t manage to hold dominance however,
and after its recapitulation fragments,
appearing in musical shards throughout
the funeral march in the coda. Finally
it breaks down completely under the
strain of the bellicose blows from the
whole orchestra. It is among the most
familiar in Western civilization, and
is here presented cleanly and competently.
The performance is very nice and was
recorded without any noticeable flaws.
Indeed, if one is looking for a recording
of these works this would certainly
be as good a recording as many and better
than most.
The only thing to detract
from this album would be the sheer number
of times that these pieces have been
recorded. There is much to recommend
this CD, but not much to differentiate
it from many other performances. Both
Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony and the
Romeo and Juliet Overture have been
recorded dozens of times and probably
exist already in most collectors CD
racks. However, if you do not have a
recording of them yet, this would be
a fine place to get solid renditions
of this impassioned and wonderful music.
Patrick Gary
Gewandhausorchester Leipzig/Kurt Masur