Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6, Pathétique; Serenade for Strings op. 48

Album review

If any of Tchaikovsky's symphonic works deserves an interpretive makeover, then the sorely abused Symphony No. 6 in B minor, "Pathétique," is it, without a doubt. Long understood as the ultimate expression of Tchaikovsky's tortured Romantic soul, this symphony has carried a tremendous burden of autobiographical import and has suffered unnecessarily under the weight of conductors' sluggish tempi and orchestras' overly lush playing. Enter Daniele Gatti, a clear-eyed conductor who is intent on restoring Tchaikovsky's works to their original states, as written, and who has demonstrated with remarkable success for Harmonia Mundi how they should sound. In his acute reading of the "Pathétique," the pacing is brisk, accents are crisp, textures are lean, and dynamics are subtly graded and balanced; all combine to make the piece sound fresh, energetic, virile, and much less forlorn and dreary. Furthermore, Gatti inspires the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra to play with a lightness and grace most often associated with Tchaikovsky's ballets, but also required in passages of the Allegro non troppo and the lilting second movement. There are moments of great tension and pathos, of course, and the Finale still has its dark coloration and anguished expression; but the piece as a whole feels lighter, relieved as it is of a century's worth of melodramatic accretions, and it seems more eloquent as a result of Gatti's controlled interpretation. There are, naturally, no serious issues of Tchaikovsky's emotional states behind the radiant Serenade in C major, Op. 48, and this delightful example of the composer's bright Classical side is played by Gatti and the RPO with elegant style, pristine clarity, and glorious string sonorities. Harmonia Mundi's reproduction is terrific, with a warm orchestral tone and wonderful resonance.
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