Search - B. Tchaikovsky, Andrew Litton, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra :: Tchaikovsky: Symphonies 5 & 6, The Tempest, Romeo and Juliet

Splendid

David Saemann | 06/02/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a reissue of two albums I have in their original releases. It is Tchaikovsky playing of a very high order. Litton, judging by this and his Rachmaninoff, has a natural knack for Russian music. His Romeo and Juliet is well nigh ideal. It is alternately lyrical and dramatic, yet the flow of the piece is never disturbed. The Tempest is just as good. This is an unusual piece, requiring much subtlety to hold it together. In the opening and closing atmospheric passages, Litton has the orchestral textures totally under control. The big central moments are stirring. As for the Symphonies, their interpretations are cut from the same cloth. Litton gets a big sound out of his orchestra, and he tends to use somewhat slow tempos to emphasize the big moments. The slow tempo in the last movement of the 5th works very well, the inevitable climax just welling up from the orchestra. In the last movement of the 6th, there is some relaxation of tension before the close. Nevertheless, the atmosphere of this movement is beautifully conveyed. The sound engineering on the second disc, from 1990, is of demonstration quality, while the first disc, from the previous year, is very good. Even if you've been collecting these Symphonies for years, as I have, Litton has something original to say about these works."