Tchaikovsky's orchestral music

A survey of Tchaikovsky's 'complete' orchestral works is offered in two further Philips bargain boxes, 17 CDs in all. But as we shall see it is not complete, with one quite unaccountable omission. At the centre of Vol. 1 is the very recommendable Markevitch set of the six symphonies with the LSO, recorded in the early-1960s. The layout involves a break after the first two movements of the Fifth which should not have been necessary in a box of eight discs, and as it happens the Fifth (although undoubtedly involving) is the one relative disappointment of the cycle. Markevitch's unrelenting forward thrust in the first movement prevents the secondary material from really blos soming, although the listener is certainly carried along with the tide. The finale, by comparison, has a firm, unhurried momentum, but is slow and heavily pontifical in its closing rhetoric. The three early symphonies are all very successful, with plenty of individual character, and the Fourth is one of the most exciting and satisfying in the catalogue. Markevitch then crowns his series with a superb version of the Pathelique, fervent and admirably paced, its third movement a genuine scherzo that nevertheless brings a splendid apotheosis for the march culmination. The finale is outstandingly eloquent. The new CD transfers are quite admirable. The analogue sound is suitably resonant and full-bodied, brilliant without being harsh, and it provides a fine weight and sonority for the brass. Markevitch's Manfred, however, is less successful. It is not without drama or feeling, but lacks the flamboyant expansiveness and Slavic drive that this often inspired but uneven work needs to carry the listener through its considerable length. On the other hand Markevitch's Francesca do Rimini, although exciting, is rather too frenetic and one turns happily to Haitink and the Concertgebouw Orchestra for a sombre Marche slave and a nobly passionate Romeo and Juliet fantasy overture. However, Haitink's Capriccio italien, though boldly colourful and elegantly turned, could do with rather more abandon at the close, after the very weighty re-presentation of the main theme. Here the Concertgebouw resonance is less than ideal.

The collection of concertante works for piano is notable for including, beside the three concertos and the Concert Fantasia, Op. 56, the Andante and Finale, Op. 79, put together and orchestrated by Taneyev. Werner Haas proves a brilliant soloist and dominates the performances artistically. But he is let down by the relatively lacklustre playing of the Monte Carlo orchestra under Eliahu Inbal. These performances are not a write-off, indeed they have an underlying vitality, but they are hardly in the front rank. There are no reservations whatsoever about Salvatore Accardo's memorably fresh and lyrical (uncut) account of the Violin Concerto, so persuasively accompanied by the BBC Symphony Orchestra under Sir Colin Davis, and he is equally convincing in the endearing Serenade melancolique and the elegant, lightweight Vcdse-scherzo, Op. 34. The mid-1970s analogue recording is excellent. Maurice Gendron takes over the solo role in the Rococo Variations and the lightweight Pezzo capriccios°, Op. 62, both presented with a dashing romantic verve, if some slight lack of elegance and poise. He is given eminently natural recording (from the early-1960s). As with the Violin Concerto the solo balance is close (Philips @ CD 456 I 87-2PB8: eight discs: 601 minutes: ADD).

Vol. 2 centres on Tchaikovsky's three major ballet scores, two of which are splendidly played by the Concertgebouw Orchestra under Antal Dorati. It is he who opens the box with the New Philharmonia Orchestra offering the four underrated orchestral Suites and very enjoyable they are. Incidentally they are also available separately — on a Philips Duo (CD 454 253-2PM2). Dorati's dramatically vivid 1975 complete Nutcracker is as fine as any version in the catalogue, and it too also comes on a Philips Duo (CD 444 562-2PM2). In the present box the layout is less than ideal, with nearly all the ballet accommodated on the fourth disc, but involving a change to the fifth CD for the "Final Waltz and Apotheosis". With the Concertgebouw Dorati then provides a polished but marginally less compelling performance of the complete Sleeping Beauty, which the Tchaikovsky scholar, David Brown, counts the composer's greatest ballet score and one of his finest works. Here the Amsterdam recording from the early-1980s is even fuller, if less sparkling (surprisingly so as it is digital), and the result is not as consistently vivacious as the Nutcracker. For Swan Lake Philips turned to their Decca partners in the PolyGram group and chose Ansermet's 1959 recording, which still sounds extremely lively, if not exactly sumptuous. The Suisse Romande Orchestra are no match for the Concertgebouw, and the ballet is not absolutely complete (Ansermet uses the Drigo edition of the score). But not too much of importance is left out, and under Ansermet's baton there is never a dull bar. Incidentally this is also available separately, issued as a Double Decca (CD 440 630-2DF2). An elegantly turned but rather low-key performance of the String Serenade, which lacks both passion and charm, and a fresher, more extrovert account of the less often heard but no less endearing Souvenir de Florence are in the hands of David Zinman and the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra; both pieces are helped by warm, full string recording from the mid- to late-1970s. But neither interpretation is distinctive. Markevitch directs the Concertgebouw Orchestra in a robust, expansive 1812, with a somewhat unpredictable choice of tempos, and the New Philharmonia in the Hamlet fantasy overture, exciting enough, most memorable for its nicely drawn portrait of Ophelia and the evocatively sonorous opening and closing pages. But it is the novelties which make the strongest impression, notably the three symphonic poems, Fate, The Storm and The Tempest, in powerfully atmospheric readings from Inbal and the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, recorded within an ideally expansive ambience. Curiously The Voyevoda (a late work which Tchaikovsky finally and rather unreasonably spurned) is omitted here, even though it is mentioned on the outside of the box and in the accompanying notes! It is perhaps the last disc in the set which offers the most intriguing repertoire of all (not otherwise available), a collection of rare Tchaikovsky dances, drawn from his operas, readily demonstrating the composer's melodic fecundity and his ear-catching use of orchestral colour. The opening items from Eugene Onegin are undoubtedly the highlights, but there are no disappointments in the rest of the very well-chosen programme drawn from Cherevichki ("Oxana's caprices"), The Maid of Orleans, The Oprichnik and The Sorceress. The playing from the Royal Opera House Covent Garden Orchestra directed by Sir Colin Davis consistently sparkles, and the sound is vivid and full-bodied (Philips @ 456 188-2PB9: nine discs: 660 minutes: ADD/DDD).