HVK Tchaikovsky

[Barbirollians]

On listening to Karajan and the BPO in the Polish symphony this afternoon I am struck by how good a Tchaikovsky conductor he was . Glorious playing by the BPO of course but no longeuers in this symphony today and excitement of which a Russian orchestra would be proud .

Coupled with a marche Slave to make the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end and a party of a Capriccio Italien.

[Flosshilde]

Interesting - I'm thinking of buyin recordings of the symphonies 1-3 & read Amazon reviews that suggested HVK missed the lightness & humour (?) of the 1st. So I've decided on this - http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/N...assics/8802036 & http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tchaikovsky-...ikovsky+polish

[Barbirollians]

I don't know the Markevitch recordings but all of HVK's BPO Tchaikovsky recordings are very fine IMO . Straight down the line but very beautifully played and great to get to know the music from .

Hand on heart I might prefer now Abado in 2 and 4 , Barbirolli in 4-6 , or Szell in 5 and Kletzki and Mackerras in 6 but these DG recordings have given me great pleasure for many years .

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Maazel's Decca set is good in the early (and late) symphonies - stunning sound for its era.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I bought the Markevich Tchaikovsky cycle some twenty years ago: I was very impressed on the first few playings, but recently I've found it doesn't convince me nearly as much. For a complete cycle, I'd probably go for Rostropovich with the LPO on EMI (or the cheaper version when Warner reissues it) - but my favourite Tchaikovsky Symphony recordings of 1 - 3 are the Karajans that Barbie mentions. They capture the sparkle of the works whilst ensuring that the symphonic drive isn't lost in the detail.

For 4 - 6 it's Mravinsky and the other LPO: wow!

[Barbirollians]

They capture the sparkle of the works whilst ensuring that the symphonic drive isn't lost in the detail.

Spot on FGHL. Funnily enough the Mravinsky No 5 I have always struggled with a bit but not the 4 and 6 - the slow movement in particular . I remember a good friend of mine at university who was a horn player being horrified at the tempo - took all the limelight away he suggested .

[Flosshilde]

Oh dear - I make a decision then people sow doubt ...

Still, thanks to the miracle of the interweb net thing I can listen to samples of both


& still not be able to decide

[gurnemanz]

- but my favourite Tchaikovsky Symphony recordings of 1 - 3 are the Karajans that Barbie mentions. They capture the sparkle of the works whilst ensuring that the symphonic drive isn't lost in the detail.

Maybe fresher-sounding because they weren't so used to playing them all the time.

[richardfinegold]

Interesting - I'm thinking of buyin recordings of the symphonies 1-3 & read Amazon reviews that suggested HVK missed the lightness & humour (?) of the 1st. So I've decided on this - http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/N...assics/8802036 & http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tchaikovsky-...ikovsky+polish

I learned Winter Dreams from Karajan and I still enjoy that recording. Haven't hear him in 2 or 3, but those are my least favorite Tchaik pieces at any rate.

[Ferretfancy]

His EMI recording of the Pathetique made in the 1970s during the quadrophonic craze got poor reviews at the time, but I think it's very fine. Many of the performances he recorded in the interlude before going back to DG, such as the Strauss Don Quixote, could do with being reissued.

[PJPJ]

His EMI recording of the Pathetique made in the 1970s during the quadrophonic craze got poor reviews at the time, but I think it's very fine. Many of the performances he recorded in the interlude before going back to DG, such as the Strauss Don Quixote, could do with being reissued.

Rumour has it that a series of boxes of HvK's EMI recordings is to be reissued in April, all remastered, like the Kempe Strauss.

EDIT: Not a rumour - here are details of the first volume just posted at MDT.

http://www.mdt.co.uk/karajan-and-his-soloists-i-1948-1958-warner-classics-10cds.html

[verismissimo]

Rumour has it that a series of boxes of HvK's EMI recordings is to be reissued in April, all remastered, like the Kempe Strauss.

EDIT: Not a rumour - here are details of the first volume just posted at MDT.

http://www.mdt.co.uk/karajan-and-his...ics-10cds.html

They all look short-measure CDs to me. LP lengths.

[seabright]

Maybe fresher-sounding because they weren't so used to playing them all the time.

As it happens, the sessions when HvK and the BPO recorded Nos 1-3 were in fact the only time they ever played them! That probably accounts for the sense one gets of conductor and players happily discovering some fresh and delightful music with which they weren't familiar. It's curious therefore that HvK never programmed them in any public concerts as well. However, that's usually the case with the first three Tchaikovsky Symphonies, which seldom get performed in any case. For example, the Proms performance last year of the Tchaikovsky 3rd was the first time it had been heard there since Malcolm Arnold conducted it in 1965!

For "tasters," and assuming you have good speakers in your computer - or better still extension speakers attached, since they are inexpensive and even better for playing classical music - dear old You Tube will help you decide, as the first three HvK Tchaikovsky Symphonies are readily auditionable thereon at the touch of a key ...

"Winter Daydreams" complete ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQqgB4uBuBc

The other two symphonies are uploaded in segments for some reason, movement by movement, so you have to do a bit of searching. However, here to be going on with, so as to get an idea of each recording, are the openings of each ...

"Little Russian" ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tk2VKHdn06w&list=PL39AC625F56B324E7

"Polish" ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02ki_lS7CaY&list=PL96B9450E47B79A27

Incidentally, I'm not especially a fan or collector of HvK but in these works he is first-class, as is the playing and recorded sound, so he'd be my first choice too!

[Dave2002]

Rumour has it that a series of boxes of HvK's EMI recordings is to be reissued in April, all remastered, like the Kempe Strauss.

EDIT: Not a rumour - here are details of the first volume just posted at MDT.

http://www.mdt.co.uk/karajan-and-his...ics-10cds.html

Is this really yet another remastering, or simply a reissue/repackaging? This earlier EMI box set is still available - http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-lis...&condition=new though the similar set of vocal and operatic music now seems to be hard to get, expensive and probably now sourced from Japan - http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listi...&condition=new

The instrumental box at around £100 might still be worth having - but the prices appear to be going upwards before the box becomes unobtainable.

PS: The EMI choral and vocal set does still appear to be obtainable from Amazon marketplace sellers after all - at prices around £90 - http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-lis...&condition=new However it may be on its way out, and prices might rise significantly.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I often think most of the best Karajan recordings were those on Decca and EMI.