Search - Ondrej Lenard :: Tchaikovsky: Manfred Symphony / Voyevoda

A great work - Definitely NOT a Nutcracker suite!

Mau Feterman | Costa Rica | 07/29/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD contains works that belong to what I call "the other Tchaikovsky", featuring strong Russian sounds beautifully mixed with powerful romantic themes, also found in works like the 4th symphony and Francesca da Rimini -- precisely the compositions that did not become popular. It's impossible to establish any comparison between these works and the ones like the Nutcracker Suite, they simply belong to different worlds. If you're looking for something like the Nutcracker Suite or the Swan Lake, don't buy this CD. Personally, this "other Tchaikovsky" is the one that I like.



Manfred Symphony is very complex. Really hard to understand at a first glance, listening to it over and over again makes it grow in your mind, and at the end, it becomes addictive. As an illustration, I don't seem to be able to stop listening to the first 10 minutes of the 4th movement.



Although it's called a symphony, its layout resembles a symphonic poem that lasts about an hour. All of the four movements feature or include the main theme, and perform complex variations. Don't forget Tchaikovsky is a Romantic composer, so don't be amazed to find new wonderful romantic themes you've probably never heard before. Let me point out that there are no waltzes or similar things here.



However, although I like most of the symphony, there are a few areas where it becomes boring, or where themes seem to be redundant or last longer than necessary.



The voyevode is a very nice composition that also belongs to this "other Tchaikovsky" I'm telling you about. It features a fast rythm that is not common for Tchaikovsky, but pretty enjoyable.

"

Brilliant Orchestration

Leslie Richford | Selsingen, Lower Saxony | 01/30/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"What a marvellous disc this is! If I give it four stars instead of five, that is because of Naxos?s recording equipment, which, back in 1988, meant that orchestral music had to be recorded at a distance, or at least at a relatively low volume-level ? studio recordings by the ?majors? sound a lot ?fuller?. But having said that, producer Günter Appenheimer has really made the best possible job of this recording, and provided you have high-quality hifi equipment and are able to listen at a higher volume than usual, you will find that every detail, both of Tchaikovsky?s superb music and of the CSR Symphony Orchestra?s wonderful performance is captured in an excellent stereo panorama: listen out for the percussion, the harp, the celesta and the majestic organ at the end of the ?Allegro con fuoco? of ?Manfred?! Full marks to conductor Ondrej Lénard, too, for a really riveting performance that demonstrates in a masterly way how brilliant Tchaikovsky was as an orchestrator, here comnbining the ?inheritance? of Berlioz with some very Russian-sounding tunes and creating music which can be compared with Tchaikovsky?s last two symphonies. Fortunately, Naxos also provide a short written run-down of the programme that Tchaikovsky was following, although I also found it helpful to read the article on ?Manfred? in a music lexicon for a little more detail and background. The symphonic ballad ?The Voyevode? (Op. 78) is also very much worth hearing."

Endlessly fascinating music in decent, but not exceptional p

G.D. | Norway | 03/19/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Naxos has recently released a new disc of the same coupling, now with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra under Petrenko. This older recording might not be quite on the level of the new one, but it is not at all bad. Now, I have to admit to having a soft spot for this large, slightly rambling but highly dramatic programme symphony (or symphonic poem); full of magnificent ideas and clearly modeled on the Berlioz symphonies. The performance here, however, is somewhat lacking in fire and nuance - it is not so much Lenard's approach as the orchestra sometimes failing to really cope with the demands and the distanced, blurry sound Naxos provides them. Some of the effect and drama does indeed come through, but the culmination with the organ entry in the fourth movement, for instance, is slightly anti-climactic if compared to other versions. True, the glittering, lush instrumental colors can often be heard as well, and the performances are usually not bad, but they are often untidy and a little coarse. And much could also be said for Lenard's sweeping approach - and much of the dramatic tension is indeed captured - but the end result is not quite in the top league. The masterly symphonic ballad Voyevoda fares somewhat better - dramatic, tragically yearning and gloriously scored, it receives a very coherent and finely shaded treatment here. In the end, while this disc is in no way a non-starter, it shouldn't really be your only version of the endlessly fascinating Manfred."