{"product_id":"tchaikovsky-symphony-no-4","title":"Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4","description":"The redoubtable Rozhdestvensky, chief conductor of the BBC                     Symphony Orchestra from 1978 to 1981, is at his very best in                     Russian repertoire. Indeed, his Shostakovich has a raw energy                     that never fails to excite, so I had high hopes for this recording                     of Tchaikovsky’s febrile Fourth. The other items on this disc                     – all recorded live by the BBC – make for a sensible and interesting                     programme, the rarely heard \u003ci\u003eSorochinsky\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eFair \u003c\/i\u003eversion                     of \u003ci\u003eNight on a Bald Mountain\u003c\/i\u003e especially welcome. Also                     worthy of note is the growing catalogue of archive material                     from the recently launched ICA label, some of it previously                     unreleased and much of it – the Tennstedt Mahler 3, for instance                     – very desirable indeed. \u003cbr\u003e                    \u003cbr\u003e                    The upfront blare of horns and bassoons at the start of the                     Tchaikovsky gives a clear indication of the character of Rozhdestvensky’s                     approach to this score; it’s vital and vigorous, yet the rhythms                     of ‘In movimento di Valse’ have grace and charm. The big climaxes                     pack a terrific punch – what thrilling timps – the transported                     brass scything through the mix like one of those brazen, Soviet-era                     performances. That’s not to say it’s over-driven – well, not                     yet, anyway – merely that it’s not the carefully sculpted sound-world                     of, say, Claudio Abbado (DG) or Lorin Maazel (Telarc). This                     uncompromising earthiness is reinforced by a forthright, yet                     detailed, recording. \u003cbr\u003e                    \u003cbr\u003e                    The oboe playing at the start of the \u003ci\u003eAndantino\u003c\/i\u003e is lovely,                     Rozhdestvensky alive to the emotional undertow of this music.                     The strings and woodwind are wonderfully alert and ardent, testament                     perhaps to Noddy’s rigorous rehearsals, and there’s real nobility                     in those big, swelling tunes. Anyone who knows Rozhdestvensky’s                     Royal Festival Hall \u003ci\u003eSleeping Beauty\u003c\/i\u003e (BBC Legends BBCL                     4091-2) will recognise that seemingly intuitive feel for phrasing;                     it all sounds so spontaneous. As for the animated \u003ci\u003epizzicati\u003c\/i\u003e                     of the Scherzo, they have a fleeting, will-o’-the-wisp quality                     that’s most engaging. \u003cbr\u003e                      \u003cbr\u003e                    All that evaporates in the sudden heat of the \u003ci\u003eAllegro con                     fuoco\u003c\/i\u003e. In his autobiography producer John Culshaw tells                     the story of how Georg Szell was tricked into taping an ill-tempered                     – yet fiery – rendition of this finale, but even he can’t match                     the incandescence of Rozhdestvensky’s reading. The BBC brass                     and percussion are truly heroic, the orchestra hard-driven yet                     coherent to the very end. I listened to this track several times,                     scarcely able to believe this music could be taken at such a                     lick and not descend into chaos. The instant roar from the otherwise                     very quiet audience says it all. A thumping performance, and                     a pretty good recording too. \u003cbr\u003e                    \u003cbr\u003e                    \u003ci\u003eA Night on the Bare Mountain\u003c\/i\u003e, most often played in Rimsky’s                     orchestration, is given here in Anatoly Liadov’s hotch-potch                     culled from Mussorgsky’s unfinished opera\u003ci\u003e Sorochinsky Fair.                     \u003c\/i\u003eThe change of venue – London’s Royal Albert Hall – and the                     very immediate recording add an edge to the choral singing that                     brings plenty of piquancy and passion to this strange hybrid.                     Remarkably, Rozhdestvensky gets his British forces to play and                     sing with all the abandon of their Russian counterparts. What                     a team they would have made in \u003ci\u003eAlexander Nevsky\u003c\/i\u003e. Musically                     this is fascinating, with unusual colours and a melting coda.                     I’d urge you to give this a try if you don’t already know it.                     \u003cbr\u003e                      \u003cbr\u003e                    If not \u003ci\u003eNevsky\u003c\/i\u003e, then Prokofiev’s suite from \u003ci\u003eThe Love                     for Three Oranges\u003c\/i\u003e will do very nicely, thank you. And so                     it proves; ‘The Clowns’ is played with manic energy and ‘The                     Magician’ is magnificently malevolent. Prokofiev’s audacious                     rhythms and acid colours are superbly caught, ditto the ever-present                     percussion and demented brass. As for the March and Scherzo,                     they’re imbued with rather more menace than usual, ‘The Prince                     and Princess’ as inward and ardent as ever. The scurrying strings                     and lancing brass of ‘The Flight’ have seldom emerged with such                     ferocity\u003ci\u003e,\u003c\/i\u003e or the cymbals sizzled so. An ear-blasting                     end to a most entertaining collection. \u003cbr\u003e                    \u003cbr\u003e                    Noddy fans will want this disc, and those who have yet to experienced                     his unique blend of eloquence and excitement would do well to                     start here. The Tchaikovsky is a stunner, and while the Mussorgsky                     is something of a curiosity it’s well worth having. The Prokofiev-on-steroids                     is a wild but welcome bonus. \u003cbr\u003e                      \u003cbr\u003e                    Another fine issue from ICA. \u003cbr\u003e                    \u003cbr\u003e                   -- Dan Morgan, MusicWeb International","brand":"ICA Classics","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":49704755429656,"sku":"5060244550353","price":11.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0687\/4346\/3192\/files\/1890412_7d3475ed-b174-4943-91ae-f323f28fa607.jpg?v=1777830417","url":"https:\/\/hbdirect.com\/products\/tchaikovsky-symphony-no-4","provider":"HBDirect","version":"1.0","type":"link"}