Tchaikovsky : Symphonie No. 6 "Pathétique", Hamlet

Album review

The most famous of Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky's symphonies, the Symphony No. 6 in B minor, "Pathétique," is filled with rich orchestration, yearning melodies, intense harmonies, and brooding moods that make it a definitive work, perhaps more than any of his earlier symphonies or other major compositions. Tchaikovsky's darkest depression colors this work, and the weight of gloom that dominates the two outer movements is characteristic of his most confessional music. The symphony receives a passionate reading in this 2011 album by Christoph Poppen and the Deutsche Radio Philharmonie, and all the despondency of the work is generously expressed, along with the fragile delicacy of the Allegro con grazia and the brutal force of the Allegro molto vivace. The live performance is committed and energetic, and the orchestra produces a warm tone in the mainstream tradition, with strings that throb and winds that practically sigh with despair. The filler piece is the Hamlet Overture-Fantasia, a suitable match to the "Pathétique" for its dramatic depiction of the Shakespearean tragedy, which Poppen and the orchestra present with a big ensemble sound and even bigger expressions. Oehms' sound is vibrant and spacious, and remarkably noise-free for being live recordings.
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