Mravinsky: Tchaikovsky – Symphonies Nos. 4, 5, 6 “Pathétique” (2 CD, APE)

Orchestra: Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra
Conductor: Yevgeny Mravinsky
Composer: Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky
Audio CD
SPARS Code: ADD
Number of Discs: 2
Format: APE (image+cue)
Label: Deutsche Grammophon
Size: 623 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes

Disc 1:
01. Symphony No.4 in F minor, Op.36 – 1. Andante sostenuto – Moderato con anima – Moderato assai, quasi Andante – Allegro vivo
02. Symphony No.4 in F minor, Op.36 – 2. Andantino in modo di canzone
03. Symphony No.4 in F minor, Op.36 – 3. Scherzo. Pizzicato ostinato – Allegro
04. Symphony No.4 in F minor, Op.36 – 4. Finale (Allegro con fuoco)
05. Symphony No.5 in E minor, Op.64 – 1. Andante – Allegro con anima
06. Symphony No.5 in E minor, Op.64 – 2. Andante cantabile, con alcuna licenza – Moderato con anima

Disc 2:
01. Symphony No.5 in E minor, Op.64 – 3. Valse (Allegro moderato)
02. Symphony No.5 in E minor, Op.64 – 4. Finale (Andante maestoso – Allegro vivace)
03. Symphony No.6 in B minor, Op.74 -“Pathétique” – 1. Adagio – Allegro non troppo
04. Symphony No.6 in B minor, Op.74 -“Pathétique” – 2. Allegro con grazia
05. Symphony No.6 in B minor, Op.74 -“Pathétique” – 3. Allegro molto vivace
06. Symphony No.6 in B minor, Op.74 -“Pathétique” – 4. Finale (Adagio lamentoso – Andante)

Among the greatest recordings ever made

I am not sure whether there is really much to say about these recordings that hasn’t already been said. Mravinsky’s take on the last three Tchaikovsky symphonies makes for one of the greatest recordings ever made, and the Leningrad Philharmonic plays their hearts out – the 1960 sound is also surprisingly good, and any music lover who missed these recordings would definitely have a serious hole in their collection. Though I don’t claim to know all the supposedly great performances of these works out there, Mravinsky wins hands down in comparison with any other performance I have heard in all three. These performances may not have the last words in terms of refinement – this is raw, gory, fervent interpretations, but to my ears Mravinsky and his Leningrad players just about proves that this is precisely what this music needs.

Who, I wonder, can challenge the blazing power and fervent energy of this performance of the fourth? As for the fifth, I used to like the Jansons performance quite a bit (still do, I suppose), but although Jansons generates tremendous momentum, his account sounds monochromatic and detached compared to Mravinsky – Bernstein’s unfocused ruminations, to take another example, does not even begin to compare (the comparison with Mravinsky just goes to show how Bernstein failed to grasp the overall structure of this work). In the sixth the competition is, I suppose, pretty fierce, but I, at least, have never heard a performance that comes even close in terms of emotional intensity. If you fail to be profoundly moved by the last movement in this performance I … don’t really know what to tell you. In short, this is an absolutely mandatory acquisition.