"I think Tchaikovsky was always
ready for immortality ... and with his
final three symphonies he secured his
place in the pantheon of Great Composers
... When recording live we go for energy,
we go for excitement, and still, hopefully,
we go for good musical quality."
Valery Gergiev.
The Philips label have
plundered their extensive back catalogue
for this compilation of live accounts
of Tchaikovsky’s last three symphonies
extravagantly but cleanly presented
one per disc. The recording of the Fifth
Symphony has been popular in the Philips
catalogue for some years and is one
of the best-selling items in Gergiev’s
discography.
Tchaikovsky’s Fourth
and Sixth Symphonies, we are
told, were recorded live in 2002 and
2004 respectively from performances
at the Grosser Saal, Musikverein in
Vienna; although neither of them seem
to contain audience applause. The Fifth
was taken down live and unpatched
from a performance at the 1998 Salzburg
Festival.
The Fourth was
written at a particularly crucial point
in Tchaikovsky’s life. 1877 was not
only the year of his disastrous marriage
but also the year in which he began
his fifteen-year correspondence with
his patroness Nadezhda von Meck.
The F minor Symphony
has always been a popular work with
its muscular melodic writing and pervading
sense of ‘fate’ which Tchaikovsky believed
controlled his destiny. In a letter
to Madame von Meck he wrote, "the
fateful force which prevents the impulse
to happiness from achieving its goal
... which hangs above your head like
the sword of Damocles."
There’s rather lacklustre
playing in the first half of the opening
movement. The power and passion increases
as Gergiev cranks-up the intensity.
The woodwind play splendidly and deserve
special praise. Maestro Gergiev commences
the second movement very slowly, gradually
picking up the tempo, a device that
he used in the opening movement. He
is superb at providing the right amount
of melancholy that leaves the listener
with a real sense of despair and exhaustion.
The Vienna strings are especially fine
in the pizzicato sections of
the scherzo and equally commendable
are the woodwind in their spirited Russian
dance. The mood of mild intoxication
is splendidly caught. The concluding
movement is performed excitingly with
considerable skill and tremendous vitality.
The Vienna brass awake from their slumber
and roar with pride making the listener
sit up and take special notice.
In this Fourth Symphony
favourite versions from my collection
are those from Jansons with the Oslo
Philharmonic on Chandos CHAN 8361 c/w
Romeo and Juliet (fantasy overture);
Mengelberg with the Concertgebouw on
Music & Arts mono CD809 c/w Syms.
5 and 6; Rozhdestvensky and the LSO
on Regis RRC 1212 c/w Marche Slave and
1812 Overture; Mravinsky with the Leningrad
PO on DG 419 745-2GH2 c/w Syms. 5 and
6 and Karajan with the VPO on Decca
Penguin 460 655-2 c/w Romeo and Juliet
(fantasy overture).
Tchaikovsky composed
his Fifth Symphony in 1888 and is generally
considered to be the most attractive
of his major works. When he first began
writing it Tchaikovsky was suffering
from a deep depression. However, he
moved to the countryside and his state
of mind became much more relaxed, enjoying
the peace and quiet and gaining a new
found pleasure from his garden. This
E minor Symphony reflects all the violent
and conflicting emotions Tchaikovsky
was experiencing at the time of its
composition.
The Fifth opens in
a sombre mood and Gergiev and the VPO
claim an immediate emotional response
with the ‘fate’ motif presented by clarinets
and bassoons over light strings. The
tense mood of resignation that verges
on despair is expertly maintained. In
the second movement Gergiev blends the
principal elements of melancholy and
beauty to great effect. In the infectious
waltz, that the composer uses instead
of the usual scherzo, Gergiev delightfully
demonstrates lively and colourful playing.
The powerful and triumphant mood of
the concluding movement is sustained
from its opening to the final bars.
Remaining resolutely in control Gergiev
resists the temptation to let the orchestra
run away with Tchaikovsky’s magisterial
events.
From my collection
I highly rate the accounts of the Fifth
from Jansons and the Oslo PO on
Chandos CHAN 8351; Rozhdestvensky and
the LSO on Regis RRC 1213 c/w Capriccio
Italien; Mravinsky with the Leningrad
Philharmonic Orchestra on DG 419 745-2GH2
c/w Syms. 4 and 6 and Ormandy and the
Philadelphia Orchestra on Sony SBK 46538
c/w Serenade for Strings.
Tchaikovsky’s Sixth,
universally known as the Pathétique,
is among his most deeply moving and
profound works, an enduring masterwork
which he considered to be his greatest
composition. Once again the struggle
against fate is central to this B minor
work which was to be Tchaikovsky’s last.
The première took place in October
1893 in St. Petersburg, and just eight
days later the composer was dead. Few
musical farewells are more poignant.
In the opening movement
the famous heart-rending first theme
is performed with wonderful expression
and admirable control by the Vienna
violins. With the recall of the opening
theme Gergiev resists the temptation
to wallow in the composer’s poignant
emotions. The sombre melody for the
brass over descending pizzicato
strings that brings the movement to
a conclusion is especially well performed.
The scherzo is splendidly played
as the infectious dance tune carried
first by the cellos then by the woodwind
both accompanied by pizzicato
strings. The solemn mood of the trio
is masterfully interpreted. I must
single out the glorious string playing
and the rich velvety timbre of the woodwind
section. In the third movement the stirring
march is built up with an impressive
cyclonic power. Gergiev in the final
movement provides a complete simplicity
of despair, developing a desperate grief
that gains in intensity and passion.
With tremendous energy a maelstrom of
emotions is created that can leave the
listener shattered.
I have several favourite
versions of the Pathétique
from my own collection that I would
not wish to be without. The account
from Pletnev and the Russian National
Orchetsra on DG 471 742-2 c/w Romeo
and Juliet (fantasy overture); Jansons
with the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra
on Chandos CHAN 8446; Rozhdestvensky
and the LSO on Regis RRC 1214 c/w The
Storm overture and Mravinsky with the
Leningrad Philharmonic on DG 419 745-2GH2
c/w Syms. 4 and 5. I am still fond of
and regularly play my first recording
of the work, which is on vinyl, from
Fritz Reiner and the Chicago Symphony
Orchestra on Camden Classics CCV 5024.
Those looking for a complete survey
of Tchaikovsky’s Six Symphonies may
wish to turn to Riccardo Muti’s set
with the Philharmonia Orchestra. These
recordings of the Symphonies were recorded
for EMI in London between 1975-81 and
are now available at super-budget price
on Brilliant Classics 99792 c/w Manfred
Symphony, Romeo and Juliet, Francesca
da Rimini, 1812 Overture, Swan Lake
Suite and Serenade for Strings (with
the Philharmonia Orchestra/Philadelphia
Orchestra). Another complete set that
I would also recommend are the accounts
from Mariss Jansons with the Oslo Philharmonic
on Chandos CHAN 86728 c/w Manfred Symphony
and Capriccio Italien.
Opulent, dramatic and
powerful performances. This well recorded
Philips set would be a welcome addition
to any collection.
Michael Cookson
see also review
of Symphony 4 by John Phillips
review
of symphony 6 by Marc Bridle
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra/Valery Gergiev
