Tchaikovsky: Symphonies Nos. 4, 5, 6 "Pathetique"

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Music reviews of Tchaikovsky: Symphonies Nos. 4, 5, 6 "Pathetique"

Music Review: One of the great sets of the latter Tchaikovsky symphonies..
Rating: 4 Stars

First the blemishes: the Fifth is a bit "ratty." It's one of his weaker symphonies anyway to my ear, as though he is going through the motions more than he's convinced by his own symphonic argument. I've never heard ANYONE bring off the finale convincingly: the transition from the opening slow section to the allegro is...well, there is none, and it's hard for any conductor to make sense of the schizophrenic nature of the movement. Mravinsky is fine, though Koussevitsky with the BSO and (believe it or not) Previn with the RPO on Telarc are among the very best here. Mravinsky's Fifth is arguably the most dispensible recording on the set. The Fouth, however, is nothing short of glorious--the only better Fourth I've heard is another Mravinsky, part of Melodiya/BMG's "Mravinsky Edition," on Volume 18, now regrettably out of print. The sound here is better, however. Some may be put off by the harsh brass and the prominent use of vibrato by trumpets and French horns, but this was the style of Russian orchestras at one time, and may have even been the style in the time of Tchaikovsky himself. For those of you raised on Ormandy or Previn, don't expect lush pillows of Romanticism. This is Tchaikovsky straight up, 80 proof. But the anguish of the first movement puts one on edge--they really FEEL this music. The slow movement is appropriately sad. The pizzicato scherzo sounds like it belongs in the Nutcracker--it is so delightful and fleet and serves as a delightful contrast to the movement that preceeded it. The finale requires that you be strapped in and keep your hands inside the car until the ride comes to a complete stop. Only Bernstein is as wild with this symphony, but to me Mravinsky sounds more heartful and convincing. (Berstein is fun, but sometimes sounds showy for showman's sake.)

Under Mravinsky's baton, the Sixth takes on a tragedy as it does with few others. "Steam-rollered" describes it well. Forget Bernstein's 1988 DG recording with the twice-as-slow finale. Yes it has its merits and is an interesting intellectual conception, but while Bernstein's works *harder,* this one just works better, if you get the difference. And Mravinsky accomplishes his goals without resorting to extremes in tempo, dynamics, articulation or anything else. His first movement is as anguished and explosive as any on record. But for my money it's the second movement--often played with the least character and adventurousness--that stands out here. Mravinsky finds a *deep* streak of tragedy throughout this throbbing 5/4 "Waltz," and that is structurally important, because the second theme from this movement returns in the final bars of the finale, to devastating effect. Such an important moment, yet so many conductors overlook it and its emotional connection to *this* (second) movement, and thus it can sound merely tacked on. Yet so much that is key in this symphony happens on the last page-- the funeral gong; the coda containing the second movement's secondary theme (now played with devastating bleakness); and most fascinating of all, something I never find mentioned: the "Rest Him With The Saints" funeral quotation in the first movement has been commented on by critics many times, but they ignore the fact that it apparently returns in a variation (or a development) here in the coda to the finale, right after the funeral gong. To me that seems significant, whether you believe the composer took his life, was poisoned, or merely drank a pitcher of bad water. (And I don't really have an opinion. No matter what the answer, it doesn't change the notes on paper.)

The recordings range from good to fair, but there's nothing that should keep anyone from listening unless DDD sound is mandatory. (And if it is I feel sorry for you, because today's crop of Tchaikovsky conductors cannot hold a candle to Mravinsky, Koussevitsky, Ormandy, [earlier] Bernstein, and others.) Most important, these recordings have the electricity and spontaneity of live performances, especially the 4th and 6th. There is also a stunning Mravinsky 6th in the aforementioned BMG Mravinsky box set (volume 19), but the sound there is very bad and compressed and in this instance I would recommend this DG recording more.

All the performances feature orchestra coloration, particularly in the winds and brass, that is different from what we are used to from "Western" orchestras (or Russian orchestras of today, for that matter,which have become homogenized.) Apparently the sound--with a more distinctive character among the different sections of the orchestra, less blend, less cohesiveness--has put off some people who've reviewed this recording here, but I'd rather hear these war-horses played differently (and arguably more "authentically") than one gets with your typical Bernstein, Ormandy, Szell, Ashkenazy. This isn't meant as a slight to any of those conductors, but there are already plenty of recordings with well-blended, larger-than-life sound that's as pure as the driven snow--This is Tchaikovsky of flesh and bone. If you're interested in Peter Ilych or in 19th century Russian music in general, your collection has a big gap without this issue.

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