COMPOSERS: Tchaikovsky
LABELS: IMP
WORKS: Symphony No. 5 in E minor; Capriccio italien
PERFORMER: LSO/Gennadi Rozhdestvensky
CATALOGUE NO: PCD 875 DDD (1987)
A serviceable, though heavy-handed account of Tchaikovsky’s Fifth from Rozhdestvensky and the LSO. At bargain price, this release combines detailed, if sometimes garish recorded sound with a deeply personal, and therefore uncompromisingly individualistic interpretation of this popular symphony. Despite moments of excitement, it’s all rather predictable; not all of Rozhdestvensky’s impassioned hectoring pays off, but at least the adrenalin flows freely in this unabashed, colourful and urgently projected reading. A simmering, highly charged Capriccio italien completes this issue. Michael Jameson
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 in E minor; Capriccio italien
A serviceable, though heavy-handed account of Tchaikovsky’s Fifth from Rozhdestvensky and the LSO. At bargain price, this release combines detailed, if sometimes garish recorded sound with a deeply personal, and therefore uncompromisingly individualistic interpretation of this popular symphony. Despite moments of excitement, it’s all rather predictable; not all of Rozhdestvensky’s impassioned hectoring pays off, but at least the adrenalin flows freely in this unabashed, colourful and urgently projected reading. A simmering, highly charged Capriccio italien completes this issue. Michael Jameson
Our rating
3
Published: January 20, 2012 at 2:33 pm