Search - Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky, Claudio Abbado, London Symphony Orchestra :: Tchaikovsky: Symphonies Nos. 4, 5, 6

Outstanding performances at an extraordinary price

Robert Moore | Chicago, IL USA | 10/26/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I want to begin by acknowledging that there are acoustically superior versions of these symphonies available. This is inevitable as recording technology improves each generation and even each decade. But sonic quality is only one criterion by which to judge a disc, and by that standard this two-fer from Deutsche Grammophon is truly one of the more remarkable bargains in the current classical catalog, and for two reasons. First, each of these performances conducted by Claudio Abbado is among the finest to have been recorded in recent decades. While granting that beauty is in the ear of the beholder, it is hard to imagine that anyone would find much or anything to criticism in the performers. One quality I especially appreciate about them is Abbado's refusal to engage in the quality that one of the reviewers behold complained of in Tchaikovsky: sentimentalism. "Sentimentality" is not an adjective that automatically applies to Tchaikovsky's music, though it is unquestionably found in some performances of it. But in the finer performances, such as the ones found here or in an old classic such as Leopold Stokowski's version of "Francesca da Rimini" Tchaikovsky is most assuredly not presented as a sentimentalist. On this disc, for instance, Abbado restrains the orchestra throughout the 4th Symphony until the Finale, but even then he refuses to "milk" the music. On the whole, I think it fairer to say that Tchaikovsky is more often prey for sentimentalists.



The second reason this is such a remarkable bargain is the exceptionally low price. To obtain three outstanding performances of three popular symphonies at such a low price is quite unusual. For those of us who have to build our collections on a budget, it is not possible to express too much gratitude for bargain discs this fine.



I would like to add, however, that audiophiles are unlikely to enjoy this disc. Audiophiles, I will admit, perplex me. Obviously it is nice to have good recordings, but some discs that can serve as demonstration discs contain rather indifferent performances. There are probably a hundred recordings of Beethoven's 9th Symphony that surpass Furtwangler's famed performance, but how many of those truly surpass his interpretation? Do we really want to abandon our old recordings by conductors such as Beecham, Bruno Walter, or Barbirolli just because they fail to measure up as recordings to more recent recordings? For me, at least, great music is more about the interpretation of the music by a great conductor than which recording more precisely reproduces woodwinds. On this criterion, this remains an exceptional achievement, and to other financially strapped, non-audiophiles, I wholeheartedly recommend this set."

In a field of modern stereo recordings, this is just okay.

JPH | Crawley | 08/28/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This is not a bad budget issue to start one's Tchaikovsky collection with. There are, however, many stereo versions by Abbado's peers which have surpassed these 1972-76 recordings.The weakest performance here is that of the Fifth Symphony. Adding injury to what is already a very dryly-performed second movement, Abbado's quirky accelerations and agogic treatment of the earliest bars are so very reminiscent of his treatment of Brahms' Hungarian Dances!!! While this approach is entirely appropriate for the Brahms, here it imbues an unwanted frivolity to Tchaikovsky's darkly emotional score. In the Fifth Symphony, Tchaikovsky expressed his anguish over his homosexuality, and the worst disservice a conductor can do him is marginalize the dark opening of the first movement, as Abbado has done. He should have played the bars straight(oops) and more directly. The Pathetique with the Vienna Philharmonic fares better. Technically, there is not much to criticise here. On the emotional front though, Abbado's performance has less investiture of intensity than Maazel's splendid version with the same orchestra. Given the scratchy recording of the Abbado, its appeal wanes next to the Maazel.The Fourth Symphony is the best performance here, revealing an unexpected feeling of "Russianness", and worth buying this double-disc set for alone. The dry sound recording again detracts hoever, it is unfortunately bass-light. Karajan's version with the Berlin Philharmoniker, recorded in the same decade and under the same label, has far more weight and lustre. The BPO's virtuosity also reveals more details in Tchaikovsky's score, especially in the first movement, details which go unnoticed by Abbado and the VPO.Anyway, all in all, this Tchaikovsky set is still worthy of consideration however swamped it may be by the competition."

Abbado is better here than in Chicago

Alan Majeska | Bad Axe, MI, USA | 11/11/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Claudio Abbado (born 1933) recorded Tchaikovsky's Symphonies 2,4,5,and 6 for DG in the early 1970s, and in the mid-late 1980s recorded all 6 Tchaikovsky symphonies in Chicago for CBS (Sony Classical). Abbado's earlier recordings, made with the Vienna Philharmonic (Symphonies 4 and 6) and London Symphony (Symphony 5) are much better than the later Chicago remakes. The DG recordings are stereo analog sound, and very good, but a little weak in the bass: turning on the "Loudness" or adjusting the bass frequencies on your equalizer (if you have one) can correct that deficiency. The later CBS recordings are digital, likely the inspiration for Abbado to re-record these works in a new format.



These are all excellent recordings, although Abbado will not blow away the competition in any of them. They are well played and reflect Tchaikovsky's longing, pathos, and (especially in 6) depression and despair, but are not overwrought with emotion and angst as Bernstein is in his late 1980s DG recording of 6.

I tend to prefer Beecham (EMI) or Ormandy (Sony) in 4; Ozawa/Berlin (DG) or Wit (Naxos) in 5; and Giulini/Philharmonia (EMI) or Ormandy (Sony) in 6. But I will listen to Abbado on DG, returning to him again and again.



These are a good buy if you want Tchaikovsky 4-6 in one neat package and don't want "over the top", emotional readings. Good sound."