Tchaikovsky's Symphonies.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Ah, now I understand. Not Sir Thomas Beecham, then, whose seriously un-Hipp concoctions are very enjoyable.

His 4th symphony has to be one of the very best.
But talking of HIPP Tchaikovsky - you'd never be able to have cannons in the 1812 overture.

To digress further, all this Tchaikovsky talk has prompted me to splash out on recordings of most of the operas, including by favourite, The Maid of Orleans.

[BBMmk2]

Has Beecham conducted Tchaik at all? I havnt seen any?

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Has Beecham conducted Tchaik at all? I haven't seen any?

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/EMI/3800162

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

And ...

http://www.allmusic.com/album/tchaikovsky-francesca-da-rimini-symphony-no-3-polish-mw0001850994

[HighlandDougie]

And:

http://www.emusic.com/album/sir-thomas-beecham/tchaikovsky-symphony-no-2-in-c-minor/12423567/

My introduction to this symphony: my dad had the Philips LP

[Barbirollians]

Barbirolli and the Halle in 4-6 are special . His live Fourth on a recent Barbirolli Society release even better .

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

And:
http://www.emusic.com/album/sir-thom...inor/12423567/

Ah! I was sure he'd recorded the Second, Dougie, but couldn't find it anywhere (it was available from CBS on vinyl in the early '80s, I believe).

There's also a recording with the LPO from the '30s of the Fifth.

[Bryn]

Ah, now I understand. Not Sir Thomas Beecham, then, whose seriously un-Hipp concoctions are very enjoyable. I must admit that the thought of the person to whom I assume you refer in Tchaikovsky is a bit off-putting. Very fine in Bruckner's 6th but that M****r *th ........

Well I feel his 4th and 5th leave something to be desired, but his 9th is to me, and others of good taste, sans pareil in the very best sense. The wobbly fingers which have covered so much dodgy orchestral string intonation in recent decades is largely kept at bay, which makes the use of sensitive vibrato in solo string passages so much more telling than when such string technique is the section's norm.

His Tchaikovsky 5th and 6th are also very fine indeed. What a shame he has not recorded Tchaikovsky's 4th, or Mahler's 6th, come to that.

[BBMmk2]

I should've known better! Just that i had never seen any! Must look them up.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I was once tempted to buy the Brilliant Classics Tchaikovsky edition in order to supplement the works I already had, but on closer inspection, this has to be one of the worst compilations ever made, both for its duplications (3 versions of the Violin Concerto) and its omissions (The Tempest Fantasy and much of the rarer stuff for which "complete" editions are so useful. Furthermore, the opera recordings are generally very old and the piano works are from quite early Vox boxes. All in all - a disappointment.
But the Russian symphony performances can be obtained elsewhere.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Some time ago, I orchestrated Tchaikovsky's Grand Sonata Op. 37, for someone who had hoped to perform it. No performance ever took place, which was a little disappointing. Turning the sonata into a symphony would mean that Tchaikovsky had reached the magic number of 9 (in a way).
However, the non-performance has resulted in the rights being returned to me, but I've decided to revise it drastically, trying to think as the composer might have done, rather than simply transcribing the notes. It's all quite exciting.

[cloughie]

Ah! I was sure he'd recorded the Second, Dougie, but couldn't find it anywhere (it was available from CBS on vinyl in the early '80s, I believe).

There's also a recording with the LPO from the '30s of the Fifth.

CBS Classics 61875!

His Sibelius 1 with Tchaik 2 would make a very welcome issue on CD.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

CBS Classics 61875!

[Hornspieler]

For me, the benchmark set is HvK's 1976-7 recordings with the Berlin Philharmonic Nos 1-6* and Silvestri with the Bournemouth Orchestra for Manfred.

All a matter of taste, of course. HvK's reading is what is there - no messing about, but strictly accurate and thrilling (in the case of Nº 6, heart rending)

Silvestri's approach with Manfred was eccentric and "different", but very exciting.

I don't know if HvK ever performed Manfred, but I think it is doubtful - not his style.

HS

* (Deutsche Grammophon)

[Pabmusic]

I've just listened to an Orfeo disc (which I was lent and copied years ago) of Ferenc Fricsay and the Bavarian RSO live in Munich in 1960, playing Bartok 3rd Piano Concerto (Annie Fischer) and Tchaikovsky 6th. Superb! A little wilful, and I thought the second movement could be a bit quicker, but such playing! The last movement is heart-breaking. Fricsay made some very good recordings.