Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 & The Voyevoda

Album review

As one of the most popular works of all classical music, Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5 in E minor needs no introduction. It has earned warhorse status in the concert hall and has been recorded too many times to count, so the appearance of Yondani Butt's recording with the London Symphony Orchestra is unlikely to create much of a stir, except among this conductor's fans. He leads the LSO in a clear and balanced interpretation of the work, and the warm and lyrical performance by this great orchestra lacks nothing, except perhaps some novel aspect of interpretation to make this disc stand out from the pack. Even so, the playing is precise and the conducting is steady and even a bit cautious in pacing, so this is a perfectly fine reading that works well, both technically and expressively. To fill the disc, a recording of Tchaikovsky's brief symphonic ballad, The Voyevoda, is included, and it's an incisive performance of a potboiler that ranks well below his more celebrated tone poems. On the whole, this is a worthwhile album that is a practical recording for study purposes.

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