Tchaikovsky – Symphonies Nos. 3, 4 & 6 (Bernstein) [2003]

CD2
01. Symphony No.3 in D major, Op.29 "Polish: I. Introduzione. Moderato assai (Tempo di marcia funebre) - Allegro brillante    [0:13:43.72]
02. II. Alla tedesca. Allegro moderato e semplice    [0:07:50.00]
03. III. Andante elegiaco    [0:11:23.10]
04. IV. Scherzo. Allegro vivo    [0:05:57.13]
05. V. Finale. Allegro con fuoco    [0:09:27.00]
06. Romeo et Juliette: Fantasy-Overture after Shakespeare    [0:19:21.45]

CD3
01. Symphony No.4 in F minor, Op.36: I. Andante sostenuto - Moderato con anima...     [0:19:27.45]
02. II. Andantino in modo di canzona    [0:10:43.22]
03. III. Scherzo. Pizzicato ostinato. Allegro    [0:05:22.25]
04. IV. Finale. Allegro con fuoco     [0:09:23.33]

05. Francesca da Rimini op.32:  Symphonic fantasy  after Dante    [0:24:36.67]

CD5
01. Symphony No.6 in B minor, Op.74 "Pathetique": I. Adagio - Allegro non troppo    [0:18:49.47]
02. II. Allegro con grazia    [0:07:09.40]
03. III. Allegro molto vivace    [0:08:53.00]
04. IV. Finale. Adagio lamentoso - Andante    [0:11:46.58]
05. Hamlet op. 67    [0:19:08.55]

New York Philharmonic
Leonard Bernstein – conductor

Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990) recorded all 6 Tchaikovsky Symphonies with the New York Philharmonic for Columbia records-now Sony Classical - in the 1960s and early 1970s. Bernstein later re-recorded Symphonies 4,5,and 6 with the New York Philharmonic for Deutsche Grammophon. In this box then are Bernstein's only recordings of Tchaikovsky's first 3 symphonies.

Symphony 1 in G Minor, "Winter Dreams" fares the best of the early symphonies. Bernstein isn't afraid the play around with tempos to make a point, but he does very well and is quite convincing throughout. In short, his tempo fluctuations do not impede the flow of the music or hamper Tchaikovsky's message. Symphony 2 in C minor, "Little Russian", which uses a Ukrainian folk song as the central motif around which movement IV is built, is less successful. Bernstein is too fast through I and IV, pushing the music too hard, and making it seem all slam-bang with little of Tchaikovsky's soul. Perhaps he was having an off day when this was recorded. Symphony 3 in D Major, "Polish", and the least recorded of Tchaikovsky's 6 symphonies, is better than Symphony 2, but not as successful as Symphony 1 in Bernstein's hands. He does exaggerate slowness in the introduction to I, and the New York violins are a little scratchy in fast moving passages in the allegro of I. But there is incredible spirit throughout. The Elegy movement is very tender and yearning; the final Polacca (mt. V) very energetic and stirring in the closing hymn like coda.

Symphony 4 is the 1975 recording, considered by many to be superior to an earlier 1960 recording by Bernstein/New York (available in a separate Sony "Bernstein Century" release). The 1975 recording is less driven, and was popular on LP when I was in college in the late 1970s: one of my dorm roommates had this LP in 1978. Symphonies 5 and 6, both recorded in the early 1960s, are excellent and top notch in every way. Symphony 6 "Pathetique" is more objective, less overwrought with emotion and pathos than Bernstein's 1986 DG recording of this piece, but still filled with emotion and drama, as is Bernstein's style.

There are also the discmates: excellent "Marche Slave" "1812 Overture", "Hamlet", and "Romeo and Juliet"; and a well played but poorly recorded "Francesca da Rimini." (Bernstein's 1986 DG Francesca, disc-mate to Symphony 4, is much better recorded than the one here). So, this is a great bargain if you like Bernstein's emotional, heart on sleeve style in Tchaikovsky. It works well, and buying all these recordings in a box is a bargain, rather than separate Bernstein Royal and other CBS or Sony editions. You might consider supplementing this with the Naxos recordings of Tchaikovsky's Symphony 2 by Adrian Leaper/Polish National Radio Orchestra, and Symphony 3 by Antoni Wit/Polish National Radio Orchestra, both well balanced performances in excellent digital sound. ---Alan Majeska, amazon.com

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