Composer: Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky
Orchestra: Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Conductor: Mariss Jansons
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: BR Klassik
Catalogue: 900105
Release: 2010
Size: 317 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64
01. I. Andante – Allegro con anima
02. II. Andante cantabile con alcuna licenza
03. III. Valse. Allegro moderato
04. IV. Finale. Andante maestoso – Allegro vivace
05. Francesca da Rimini, Op. 32, TH 46
Mariss Jansons and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra recorded Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5 in E minor and the symphonic fantasy Francesca da Rimini in 2009, and released their vivid live performances in the hybrid SACD format on the German BR-Klassik label. The orchestra plays with a rich sound and polished technique, and the recording offers remarkable clarity of details in the inner voices and exquisite tone colors, so the DSD recording and multichannel sound are put to good use. Yet because the sophisticated audio equipment picks up everything good that happens in the orchestra, it also captures the unattractive sounds of the conductor, which are either grunting or a misguided attempt to hum along with the music. Unfortunately, this is a characteristic shared with too many musicians, so some listeners have learned to tolerate this humming along as a quirk of geniuses. All the same, Jansons’ indiscreet noises may be too great a distraction for some listeners and their enjoyment of this album may be diminished over a problem that could have been avoided with a different microphone arrangement. However, if some allowance is made for that problem, the performance of the Symphony No. 5 is powerful and compelling, and Francesca da Rimini has tremendous drama, thanks to the overwhelming force and extreme depth of the orchestra’s sound.
The symphonic poem “Francesca da Rimini” stands opposite one of Tchaikovsky’s most popular works on this SACD – the Symphony No. 5 in E minor. The poetic-dramatic work “Francesca da Rimini”, based on an episode from Dante’s “Inferno”, which unfolds a splendid and captivating tableau ranging from lyrical passages with a beguiling wealth of colour all the way to dramatic-theatrical outbursts. No question about it: Mariss Jansons has just the right pinch of “Russian soul” to bring out both these works in their full power: the recordings in October 2009 and July 2010 reveal the conductor in perfect unity with his orchestra, a combination capable of bringing ecstasy and control into perfect balance here.