I have been listening to the 12 disc Ormandy Tchaikovsky set released by Sony. It goes for $22 on Amazon plus P+H. It is a mix of CBS and RCA recordings. It features the 6 numbered Symphonies, Manfred, a couple of oddball symphonies (reconstructions?) that I was previously unfamiliar with, extended discs of Ballet excerpts, the String Serenade, the Violin Concerto, 3 Piano Concertos, and the Rococco Variations.
I had cut my teeth on the Ballet discs, learning this music from long gone Ormandy/Philly lps, and it's great to have them again. The Orchestra is the perfect instrument for this composers music. Ormandy doesn't interpret as such, he seems to mainly the musicians play, and that is a good thing. I likewise had learned the Violin Concerto from the Stern/Ormandy recording and while I have many others it is good to have this again as well. These are CBS recordings and they still show signs of compression--quite audibly--in climaxes.
Ican't comment on the oddball Symphonies, having never heard them before. Of the numbered and the Manfred, I can say that these won't displace my favorites, but they are vaery enjoyable and always well played. The only clinker is the Polish, and that is my least favorite Tchaik Symphony anyway.
I had cut my teeth on the Ballet discs, learning this music from long gone Ormandy/Philly lps, and it's great to have them again. The Orchestra is the perfect instrument for this composers music. Ormandy doesn't interpret as such, he seems to mainly the musicians play, and that is a good thing. I likewise had learned the Violin Concerto from the Stern/Ormandy recording and while I have many others it is good to have this again as well. These are CBS recordings and they still show signs of compression--quite audibly--in climaxes.
Ican't comment on the oddball Symphonies, having never heard them before. Of the numbered and the Manfred, I can say that these won't displace my favorites, but they are vaery enjoyable and always well played. The only clinker is the Polish, and that is my least favorite Tchaik Symphony anyway.
Comment