COMPOSERS: Tchaikovsky
LABELS: Virgin
PERFORMER: Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra/Andrew Litton
Bargain boxes of Tchaikovsky and Mahler head this month’s reissue resumé. Virgin’s TCHAIKOVSKY set from Andrew Litton and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (VB 5 61893 2) includes all six symphonies, Manfred, the String Serenade, the Capriccio italien, the Eugene Onegin Polonaise, Romeo and Juliet and The Tempest.
These striking performances (from Poole’s Wessex Hall) rank among this orchestra’s finest achievements, and with the music distributed across six CDs, there are no irritating side-breaks to contend with.