Principal Conductor and Music Director of the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich since October 2019, Paavo Järvi continues his complete cycle of Tchaikovsky’s Symphonies, following a first volume devoted to Symphony No. 5 and the symphonic poem Francesca da Rimini. This second volume features Symphonies No. 2 and No. 4. The Fourth, composed in 1878 and nicknamed the ‘Fate’ Symphony because of its sombre colouring, which may recall the neuroses attributed to Tchaikovsky, is one of his most frequently performed. The Second Symphony, composed in 1872 and much less frequently performed in concert, is known as the ‘Little Russian’ because Tchaikovsky drew on Ukrainian folk tunes. The very first movement begins with a solo horn version of the folksong Down by Mother Volga. © Alpha Classics

Studio recordings are rare things today. Orchestras are of such great quality that publishers prefer live recordings, which are much cheaper than long studio sessions, with their complex production workloads. And so this is a rather "old-fashioned" (it's fashionable) publication here from Decca, directed by Smyon Bychkov, a conductor who has rarely appeared on records for some years. Born in the Soviet Union in 1952, Semyon Bychkov was destined for a fine career in his country when, at the age of 21, he was offered the opportunity to replace the titan Mravinski at the head of the Leningrad (today St Petersburg) Philharmonic Orchestra. But his contract was cancelled because of his political opinions: a move that obliged him to seek refuge in the USA, where his career truly began in earnest. Obtaining US nationality, he became the director of the Paris Orchestra for ten years, before accepting a similar post at the head of the WDR Cologne Radio Orchestra. Named the resident at the prestigious Czech Philharmonia following the premature death of its leader Jiří Bělohlávek, Semyon Bychkov started work on this anthology of Tchaikovsky's symphonic works, including the six symphonies, the rare and little-loved "Manfred" Symphony (in its original, uncut version, including the harmonium stipulated by the conductor), the piano concertos and the Serenade for strings. This was marathon job taken at a record-breaking sprint between 2015 and 2019. In the course of this project, the Russian conductor undertook minute work on the scores and studying the personal history of the composer, in particular around the Pathétique Symphony. For him, it wasn't a requiem to Tchaikovsky, but rather a "revolt against death and not the idea of death itself". As for the famous First Concerto, played here by Kirill Gerstein, he presents the more intimate original version, which is less emphatic than the one we are used to hearing. A fine piece of work with what Bychkov has described as an ideal orchestra, which mixes the highest expression of the Slavic spirit with a Western spirit: a synthesis which sums up Tchaikovsky's music itself. © François Hudry/Qobuz

Audiophiles may desire this CD of Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4 and the Romeo and Juliet Overture for its splendid sound quality, but music lovers may curb their enthusiasm because there is little here to rave about. From the opening fanfares, it is immediately apparent that Channel Classics has employed state-of-the-art technology to best advantage, and the listener may settle in for a real sonic feast. However, the thrill of hearing the vivid timbres and extraordinary orchestral depth soon changes to a combination of dutiful listening and distracted boredom. The Budapest Festival Orchestra, directed by Ivan Fischer, delivers fairly standard performances of these familiar warhorses: not especially magnificent or terrible, but merely routine and competent renditions that neither enthrall nor offend. The restraint and predictability are perhaps due to the needs of the project; the emphasis on vivid sound quality seems to overshadow the music-making and inhibits the musicians from truly expressive playing. Yes, they can bring the roof down in spectacular climaxes -- the symphony's Finale makes that abundantly clear -- but the quieter music, say, in the Andantino and the Scherzo, is uncompelling and lacks inspiration. Romeo and Juliet is decent filler, but like the symphony, it only makes a splash in the loudest passages. Channel Classics released this recording in both CD and SACD formats, with exceptional reproduction. © TiVo

Originally issued on separate LPs in the late '60s, Quartetto Italiano's legendary recordings of Ludwig van Beethoven's late string quartets occupied a prestigious place in Philips' catalog and fully warranted reissue on CD for their technical acumen, intellectual clarity, and expressive depth. All serious string quartets aspire to play these monumental works, which have proved to be more influential than any others in their genre; it's fair to say that most groups wish their performances could at least be equal to Quartetto Italiano's, both in terms of staying power and sublime musicality. It's difficult to choose one opus over another, since each has a distinctive character that demonstrates Beethoven's extremely wide range of moods, and Quartetto Italiano's interpretations are magnificent across the boards, without a single low point. Philips' ADD sound is possibly the only sticking point, because these recordings sound a little cool and muted in comparison with contemporary digital recordings, and listeners who are accustomed to greater resonance and verisimilitude might find this set to be a little flat and veiled. Yet virtually all traces of analog hiss have been removed, and the practiced listener will still be able to appreciate the profundities of the music despite the slightly shallow reproduction.© TiVo

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Tchaikovsky's Fourth Symphony represents a turning point in the composer's symphonic output. By the Fourth, Tchaikovsky had really found his own voice, tragic as it was, and began writing symphonies with much more poignancy, depth, and fervor. Many stressors were present as Tchaikovsky was writing the Fourth Symphony: constant financial worries, his brief marriage intended to deflect scrutiny about his own orientation, and the subsequent dissolution of the marriage to name but a few. Whether a listener subscribes to the theory that the Fourth Symphony is a musical translation of these events in the composer's life or not will play a role in their interpretation of the symphony as entirely absolute or semi-autobiographical. Lending their own interpretation on this PentaTone Classics disc are conductor Mikhail Pletnev and the Russian National Orchestra. Founded in 1990, the RNO has already achieved a great many accolades for its technically polished performances. With a fellow Russian at the helm of the orchestra, one would likely expect a robust, vigorous, assertive performance that accentuates the fatalistic elements of the score, particularly in the outer movements. While Pletnev and orchestra certainly deliver a technically flawless execution, their performance may be seen as a bit too nice. Where's the punchy, almost belligerent brass? The triple fortes that should make hairs stand on end? The free, sorrowful song of the English horn that opens the second movement? All of these elements are just too polished, too status quo, too nice.© TiVo

This 2010 recording of Tchaikovsky's eternally popular Swan Lake ballet, with Mikhail Pletnev and the Russian National Orchestra might be ideal for dancing, but it is less ideal purely as a listening experience. On the whole, and in most of its parts, theirs is a highly dramatic and very fast-paced performance, filled with plenty of vigor, energy, color, and contrast. The score requires more pathos and bathos than depth and profundity, and Pletnev elicits from the Russian musicians a sweetly soulful and wholly polished performance. But this version misses the lightness and buoyancy of Gennady Rozhdestvensky's classic account of the work, a performance that sacrifices none of the work's drama, and allowing it space to dance. Pletnev's recording has many virtues, though, and the listener may find a place on the shelf for both his and Rozhdestvensky's versions. Ondine's sound is clean and lush, with plenty of detail. © TiVo

One salutary aspect of the tendency of orchestras, especially American and British ones, to issue their live concerts on recordings is that standout performances tend to be picked. The performance here of the Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36, was recorded in 2016, but it clearly stuck in some heads and was identified as a worthwhile moment (the Double Concerto by Jonathan Leshnoff was recorded three years later; this live album doesn't represent a single concert). It is indeed special: the Symphony No. 4 has rarely received such an intense performance. It's not the speed; conductor Manfred Honeck comes in a minute slower than Mariss Jansons on the first movement of his Oslo Philharmonic recording, but there is still a feeling of urgency, amplified by slight changes to the score that Honeck details in his expansive liner notes (available on the Chandos label's website for downloaders and streamers) and by a general high-contrast approach to dynamics. Listeners will have to make their own decisions about these, but it's quite arguable that Honeck does nothing that a conductor of the late 19th or early 20th century might have also considered. The Pittsburgh Symphony is in fine form in the symphony's thrilling brass passages and in the all-pizzicato strings of the third movement. The accompanying Double Concerto for clarinet and bassoon by Leshnoff is also a pleasure: a neo-Romantic work agreeably written and elegantly performed by soloists Michael Rusinek and Nancy Goeres. The live engineering in the acoustically difficult Tchaikovsky, from Pittsburgh's Heinz Hall, is very fine. © TiVo

PentaTone Classics usually deals in high-end reissues of older recordings, particularly those drawn from the Philips catalog. However, upon encountering this recording of Stravinsky with Philippe Herreweghe, the Collegium Vocale Gent, and the Royal Flemish Philharmonic, one cannot be blamed for taking pause to wonder, "Now who did Herreweghe record this for -- Erato? Harmonia Mundi?" No sir or ma'am; Herreweghe has never recorded Stravinsky's Monumentum pro Gesualdo, Mass, Chorale Variations on "Von Himmel Hoch," or the Symphony of Psalms before, nor any other Stravinsky for that matter. This is a NEW PentaTone recording, a live one made in Antwerp in 2008. Contrary to expectation, Herreweghe does not conduct the Monumentum pro Gesualdo as though it was Gesualdo, and moreover, it's a pretty straitlaced and sober performance to boot, though it's more of a bloodless coup than Stravinsky's own recording, made in 1960. The Mass is both well sung and well coordinated; a very neat and tidy performance, but too fast tempo wise; one wonders during the Sanctus "what is he trying to do, catch a bus?" The Chorale Variations on "Von Himmel Hoch" is better in terms of pacing, though there are moments of lax coordination among the winds; this is, after all, live. This issue is ironed out in the Symphony of Psalms. As in the case of the Monumentum pro Gesualdo, the Symphony of Psalms is a pretty good performance, though at times the orchestral balance seems a little off-kilter; nevertheless, the second movement packs a punch. Although this is a hybrid multichannel disc, sometimes there are little inequities of sound; the winds in the Mass have a tendency to overpower the singers, and within the Collegium Vocale Gent at times the gents seem a bit louder than the ladies.There is no questioning Herreweghe's strong showing in Baroque literature; particularly in Bach cantatas. However, Herreweghe has dipped into modern repertoire here and there and usually with the same or similar results as on this PentaTone disc. The 20th century is just not Herreweghe's strong suit, and one wonders why he keeps trying to play his hand in it, though this is not all bad; just not quite the strong showing one would hope it to be.© TiVo