Just about the only trick Chandos missed during their initial
and very fruitful association with Neeme Järvi was to record
a cycle of the Tchaikovsky symphonies. On reflection that was
not so surprising given that they already had one highly acclaimed
cycle in the can from Mariss Jansons and the Oslo Philharmonic
Orchestra. What is surprising, in the light of Järvi’s
productivity and penchant for collections of symphonic works,
is that it has taken nearly a quarter of a century into his
recording career for his collected thoughts on the works of
Tchaikovsky to appear.
Given his track record of excellence in similar repertoire,
the brilliance of the Gothenburg Orchestra and BIS’s all-round
technical expertise I would assume this would go straight to
the top of any list of modern recordings. But far from it, this
set has had me scratching my head in perplexed confusion. Don’t
get me wrong, nothing at all is bad here and much is good but
it is hard not to be rather disappointed with the sum of the
results. In brief, this is the bringing together of a cycle
of six individual discs recorded and released over a three year
period from 2002. The couplings of the discs are identical to
their original releases right down to the complete extensive
(and very good) liner notes being included in a 120 page booklet
written in English, German and French. Keeping the original
couplings was a very good idea – each disc is a well planned
concert of a Symphony followed by orchestral works which range
from the very familiar to the completely unknown. In each case
these satellite works complement the symphony well. From memory
I am certain the single discs were released in a SA-CD format
(CD1;
CD2;
CD4;
CD5;
CD6).
As far as I can tell – there are no logos to this effect on
the box and I do not have the suitable decoding equipment –
this is a standard CD release. BIS have been very canny in the
past re-releasing cycles of performances at very keenly discounted
prices. This set is sold as “6 CDs for the price of 2” which
means it can be found on-line for as little as £24.00 including
delivery although rather oddly Amazon.co.uk seem to have decided
that 2 CDs costs £64.00! The lower price represents tremendous
value for over seven and a half hours of music in high quality
recorded sound.
But now for the doubts that start to creep in. This is listed
as “Orchestral works including Symphonies 1-6”. Crucially, there
is no recording of the Manfred Symphony. Not everyone’s
favourite work I know but surely vital in such a survey. Much
of the time in the symphonies in particular Järvi seems out
of sorts. His remarkable knack – demonstrated in disc after
disc – has been to given performances of real propulsion and
a kind of spontaneous flamboyance. I would challenge many listeners
to recognise this for long tracts as Järvi’s work. Too often
long passages go by in an almost perfunctory manner. Do not
get me wrong, there is much to admire here – clean and controlled
playing well to the fore. But I don’t want to admire this music,
I want to love it. I am sure there is an audience for objective
Tchaikovsky and if so that group will be well pleased by the
performances here but it does not include me. A characteristic
of Tchaikovsky’s compositional style is the use of sequence
and repetition to build tension. The skill of any conductor
is subtly to grade dynamics and tempo to aid the sense of mounting
emotion leading to those glorious moments of cathartic release
by which you will either love or loathe Tchaikovsky. I make
no bones about the fact that I am in the former camp and would
have put money on Järvi judging those passages to perfection.
But no, the early symphonies in particular suffer from a very
plain approach to the bending of tempi; it verges on the bland.
I could not help wondering if Järvi likes the first three symphonies
very much. More curious is the fact that the fires of inspiration
burn high and low within the same work. I must repeat that there
are many incidental beauties to be heard along the way – some
ravishing wind solos in particular and string playing that is
never less than clean and brilliant.
To take the discs in order. Symphony No.1 “Winter Daydreams”
– a favourite of mine – suffers the most routine performance
in the set. The finale has more adrenaline coursing through
its veins but it’s too little too late. The couplings – which
are generally better than the main works are likewise far from
attention-grabbing. One of Järvi’s Chandos discs early on during
his tenure in Detroit was a fine and exciting complete incidental
music to The Snow Maiden – only in the last movement
of the four selected here – Dance of the Buffoons [CD1
track 8] do the shackles fall away and the music rollocks along.
And when it does it is little short of sensational. It might
be my imagination that the recording perspective is slightly
more recessed than on some BIS discs – perhaps a legacy of the
preferred SA-CD format – but this is still very good engineering
supporting excellent playing. But immediately after this uplifting
movement the routine returns with a very penny plain Romeo
and Juliet – played in the standard final revision. The
sword fight sequences are neat and accurate but lacking in vehemence
and the love theme is lovely ... but surely that is not enough?
One passage does work well – the dragging and weary funeral
music at the end has a perfect “all passion spent” quality but
then the timp crescendo to the final stabbed chords is singularly
uninvolving. The Symphony No.2 ‘Little Russian’ fares
best of the early symphonies although here the reverse
of the First Symphony is true with the finale least impressive
after a very good three opening movements – somehow the folk-festival
atmosphere never quite catches wing as one would want. The reasons
to hear this disc though are the three couplings all of which
are excellent. The very early Overture in F major (1866)
finds Järvi in what I would call typical form – at last
the swagger and bravura are on display. Likewise in the Festive
Overture on the Danish National Anthem and The Storm
Op.74. The former of these two works – another 1812 Overture
in spirit receives the best recorded performance I have
heard – infinitely better than the wan Dudarova and the adequate
Russian Symphony Orchestra on an old Olympia double disc set
(1993, OCD512A/B) or the trail-blazing Geoffrey Simon back on
Chandos (1982, CHAN9190). From the recording dates I see these
come from the same month and year as the Symphony No.5 and
the Elegy which are also among the best performances.
The Symphony No.3 ‘Polish’ has always fared least well
on disc and is the most elusive of the six numbered works. With
its five movements there seems to be a pre-echo of the four
orchestral suites Tchaikovsky would write in the decade between
the 4th and 5th Symphonies. The finale
is more successful here again and the third movement Andante
elegiaco is moving in its simplicity but overall the lack
of emotional engagement from the podium is palpable. More good
couplings save the day with the rare Dances of the Chambermaids
and very rare incidental music to Dmitri the Pretender
and Vassily Shuisky proving to be real finds. In that company
the Serenade for Nikolai Rubinstein’s Name Day – again
familiar from the recording made by Simon for Chandos – rates
as positively old-hat but benefits from a lovely performance.
Even the Onegin excerpts with a measured Waltz and
a somewhat regal Polonaise are rather good.
Reaching the Symphony No.4 suddenly Järvi seems more
interested in making interpretive interventions again. So where
the earlier works plodded along in a kind of ‘tempo-ordinario’
here Järvi is back to his more typical style of wide tempo variations
and expressive rubato – a style I have to say I much prefer.
So relatively speaking the opening fate fanfare of this symphony
and the following first subject is quite steady but then the
development moves on. I’m not sure Järvi quite brings off these
fluctuations but it’s so much better that he’s trying. The trumpets
generally feel a fraction recessed compared to the other brass
but overall the cumulative power of the work is well conveyed.
There is some crackingly fleet and nimble woodwind playing –
the piccolo as neat as I have ever heard – and some beautifully
expressive oboe solos too. My only thought is that the return
of the fate fanfare thundering out interrupting the festive
finale is not as terrifyingly implacable as I have heard. After
an impressive symphony, a disappointing Serenade for Strings.
The liner makes the point that Tchaikovsky wanted this to be
played by as large a string group as possible – the Gothenburg
strings feel underpowered – the wonderful chorale that frames
the work having none of the sonorous weight it must have. Indeed
the return of this motif at the end sounds painfully
literal and uninvolved - very disappointing indeed. All the
more so because the third movement Elegie receives a
performance of rapt and hushed intensity. The Elegy in Memory
of I.V. Samarin is another work of great rarity and is delightful.
The performance of the Symphony No.5 is similar to the
fourth benefiting from the ebb and flow that is crucial to the
success of a Tchaikovsky performance. A serenely lyrical third
movement waltz is a real charmer in Järvi’s hands and the finale
has an exciting swagger with the Gothenburg brass caught thrillingly.
If fate in the 4th Symphony was not terrifying enough
then here in the fifth the ultimate triumph over fate is well
projected. A good Voyevoda and a routine Capriccio
Italien complete the disc.
The Symphony No.6 Pathétique is a remarkable work on
so many levels; musical, biographical or confessional. The emotional
arc of the work is as powerful as any in the entire repertoire
of Romantic music. Given that 4 and 5 marked an improvement
on the early works I had relatively high hopes but this disc
of the Pathétique encapsulates all of the technical brilliance
but musical flaws of this set. The engineering is remarkable
at allowing telling and subtle details of Tchaikovsky’s brilliant
orchestration to register and the huge dynamic range of the
disc is capable of resolving the merest murmur on the clarinet
or a wall of brass. But the emotion displayed here is perfunctory
at best. If you imagine the opening movement represents a kind
of Russian Abschied what you get here feels like moderate
regret; where are the tears … where is the grief? The second
movement 5/8 ‘waltz’ is elegant and cool which works well but
the last two movements disappoint once again. The 3rd
movement March/Scherzo should surely strain for exuberance
tinged with an almost manic hysteria; a last vain attempt to
escape his fate. Here we have a performance of superb control
and immaculate execution but singularly lacking in the theatre
of the moment. The Finale remains one of the most extraordinary
pieces in the repertoire – a resigned descent to death. Again
I found myself listening to the detail of Tchaikovsky’s composition
rather than being captivated by the whole. So a superbly proficient
performance but one of almost total disengagement. Because this
is such a great work it still nearly works but when the same
musical principles are applied to a lesser work it falls flat.
And so it proves with Francesca da Rimini. In the right
hands this is one of Tchaikovsky’s most compelling and exciting
works. Here it verges on the humdrum with some passages simply
dull.
Summing up this set is harder than one might think. For a first
time buyer of a tranche of Tchaikovsky’s orchestral music I
don’t think anyone would be disappointed because the music remains
as powerful as ever and the recordings are very fine. So far
in this review – except for the mention of Dudarova I have avoided
comparisons deliberately. For the simple reason that even when
Järvi is good in the symphonies he never once dislodges my allegiance
to older versions. Tchaikovsky is one of those composers I really
enjoy so I have rather too many cycles of his symphonies. Even
at bargain price – which this set undoubtedly is – competition
is fierce. On seven Brilliant Classics discs (99792) Muti and
the Philharmonia/New Philharmonia are recorded in resplendent
late analogue/pretty good early digital which includes Manfred
and some other ‘standard’ couplings. The symphonies are excellent
– Muti at his young compelling best, the couplings, mainly from
his Philadelphia days, less so. The old (1962-66) Philips/Igor
Markevitch/LSO cycle has been just re-released on Newton Classics
(8802036) – only Symphonies 1-6 split over 4 discs but with
a price advantage – around £14.00. I know this from the previous
Philips incarnation (1997, 8 CDs CD 456 187-2PB8 which included
a powerful Francesca da Rimini played by the New Philharmonia
– originally just the symphonies on 4 CDs - 425 848-2) so I
do not know if the re-mastering is the same but these are exciting
performances in decent 1960s sound. Cheaper still, you can download
the former Vox Turnabout cycle (VoxBox CD5X3603) from Maurice
Abravanel and his Utah Symphony Orchestra (the couplings are
some orchestral pieces by various ensembles) for less than £8.00
the lot. The MP3 transfers are really quite good (256 kps) but
unless budget is the prime consideration the playing and recording
are not anywhere near as good the immediate competition. I do
not know the Pletnev/DG
cycle (7 discs – including a Manfred and similar
‘standard’ repertoire couplings for anything from £16.00 up)
for the simple reason that I don’t find much heart in Pletnev’s
orchestral interpretations once the Russian brilliance has been
removed. Which leaves me my two enduring favourite cycles; Rostropovich
(EMI
Classics) and Svetlanov (earlier
set on Aulos). Neither are exactly mainstream choices but
whenever I need a heart-on-sleeve dose of Russian romanticism
I turn to Svetlanov and his live cycle on Warner (Warner Svetlanov
Edition 5101124482 - 5 discs – no Manfred and relatively
expensive – around £28.00) recorded in Japan. No extras and
not great sound but what extraordinary commitment from conductor
and players – here is a Polish to make you think it is
a great work. But for all-round value, superb playing, classic
analogue recording in the Kingsway Hall and a conductor willing
to impose his musicianship and make choices I still find Rostropovich
second to none. Many find him slow and wayward but for me the
cumulative power is overwhelming. Add a mighty Manfred and
a couple of ‘standard’ Fantasies on 5 discs for £14.00 and there
need be no second thoughts. Yes, the symphonies split over discs
but how recently we happily turned over LPs every twenty-five
minutes without complaint. It is worth noting that both of these
cycles were produced as a result of intensive music-making over
a compressed time-frame; a few weeks – for Rostropovich, or
remarkably just days in Svetlanov’s case.
Returning to this Järvi/BIS cycle I would recommend the set
for the rarities it contains – perhaps BIS should fillet these
performances out onto a single disc. Good though two of the
later symphonies are no single performance in this set displaces
old favourites. Cross-referencing the recording dates with the
pieces that work least well there does appear to be some correlation.
Which leads one to the conclusion that in music, as in sport,
class is permanent but form is temporary – too often here Järvi
seems ‘off-form’. Recently I enjoyed the second volume of the
Chandos survey of the Halvorsen Orchestral works (review)
which exhibited the old virtues of a classic Järvi interpretation
– flair and fantasy, qualities missing all too often from the
main works here.
Nick Barnard
Full track listing:
CD 1
Symphony No.1 in G minor, Winter Daydreams, Op.13 [39:30]
The Snow Maiden, Op.12: Introduction. [5:30]; Entr’acte.
[1:16]; Melodrama. [4:56]; Dance of the Buffoons [4:39]
Romeo and Juliet, Fantasy Overture after Shakespeare
[19:29]
CD 2:
Symphony No.2 in C minor, Little Russian, Op.17 (1879
version) [32:26]
Overture in F major (1866 version) [11:47]
Festive Overture on the Danish National Anthem in D major,
Op.15 (1892 version) [12:09]
The Storm (Groza), Overture, Op.76 [14:37]
CD 3:
Symphony No.3 in D major, Polish, Op.29 [42:17]
The Voyevoda, Op.3: Entr’acte and Dances of the Chambermaids.
[9:51]
Dmitri the Pretender and Vassily Shuisky: Introduction
to Act I.[3:48]; Mazurka. [2:46]
Serenade for Nikolai Rubinstein’s Name Day [3:12]
Eugene Onegin, Op.24: Entr’acte and Waltz.[7:48] Polonaise.[5:02]
CD 4:
Symphony No.4 in F minor, Op.36 [42:53]
Serenade for Strings in C major, Op.48 [30:10]
Elegy in Memory of I.V. Samarin for string orchestra
[5:50]
CD 5:
Symphony No.5 in E minor, Op.64 [46:31]
The Voyevoda, symphonic ballad, Op.78 [13:00]
Capriccio italien, Op.45 [15:28]
CD 6:
Symphony No.6 in B minor Pathétique, Op.74 [43:13]
Francesca da Rimini, fantasy for orchestra, Op.32 [24:48]
Göteborgs Symfoniker/Neeme Järvi 
