Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5, Romeo & Juliet Fantasy Overture

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Listeners who enjoy Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64, have their choice of readings, with interpretations to fit everyone's taste by stars of the classical music scene. It takes self-confidence, or nerve, for the Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg, a fine regional ensemble but no Berlin Philharmonic, to enter the scene with its new conductor, Aziz Shokhakimov. As it happens, they produce a distinctive performance that will appeal to aficionados of the work. Shokhakimov is not Russian, but this is a performance of the work in the Russian tradition, highly subjective, with lots of input from the conductor. The tempos are fast and malleable, with a fast finale that aims for and largely gets a high pitch of excitement. Probably the strongest thing on the album is saved for last; the performance of the Romeo & Juliet Fantasy Overture is controlled, cohesive, and quite involving. In some places, this sounds like a live recording, with bits of background noise and a satisfying sense of hearing the conductor wrestle with the work, but nothing in the packaging suggests that it was recorded live. An intriguing Tchaikovsky Fifth that makes one want to hear more from the orchestra and its young conductor.

© James Manheim /TiVo