levka14
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Piotr Tchaikovsky - Tchaikovsky Edition [60CD Box Set] (2011) FLAC
FLAC, Lossless (image + cue) | Classical | 15.1 Gb
This, I must admit, is more of an overview than a review. There's more detail in my survey of Brilliant's 60-CD set issued in 2011; even that was in the nature of a skim and I am recycling and summarising some of the overlapping material. The 60-CD set and the present one range over many of the same recordings but there are differences. For a start this one does not have a CD-ROM of notes and librettos. The present box has a 14-page essay by David Nice: well done Brilliant for not making false economies there. The 'missing' CDs are the five comprising historical recordings.
The symphonies - seven of them - are the same as in the 2011 set. For the most popular core symphonies (4-6) we are in the hands of Rozhdestvensky in 1987 with the LSO. They are in glorious form apart from the Andante of No. 4 which is unfeelingly quick. Tangy fillers come in the shape of Marche Slave, Capriccio Italien and The Storm. There's no sign of Tempest.
The Symphonies 1 and 3 are from a Vladimir Fedoseyev cycle. His fine Third is in harness with a tragically cloud-hung and angry Hamlet in thunderously affirmative sound. Yuri Simonov is in charge for Symphony No 2, Francesca (CD3) and Manfred. These are very good though not quite in the exultant Bernstein (CBS-Sony) vein. Technically, however, these recordings are exemplary - far superior to Bernstein’s CBS analogue.
Simonov favours a broad and steady stride in Francesca. He is gloriously well recorded and handles the central love-song with moody tenderness. Simonov’s Manfred (CD7) has its moments – again in the poetic Andante and kindred episodes in the finale (tr. 4 11:30) – but in overview tends towards the diffuse. It’s not a patch on Svetlanov (BMG/Scribendum/Melodiya) or Symeonov (Vista Vera).
The Orchestral Suites are from Marriner and the Stuttgart Radio orchestra. These are 1980s recordings originating from Capriccio. They are in clean and atmospheric sound with a delightfully spread stereo image – a great way to discover some little known Tchaikovsky though not up there with Dorati on Philips.
CDs 8 and 9 include incidental music for the theatre: 20 scenes from Hamlet as well as a Festival Overture on the Danish National Hymn. This is excellent and has been harvested in from Chandos. Geoffrey Simon is in charge. It is a pity that all three Tchaikovsky-Simon-Chandos CDs were not included. The Snow Maiden from Chistiakov combines charm and exuberance (review).
Contains CDs:
FLAC, Lossless (image + cue) | Classical | 15.1 Gb
This, I must admit, is more of an overview than a review. There's more detail in my survey of Brilliant's 60-CD set issued in 2011; even that was in the nature of a skim and I am recycling and summarising some of the overlapping material. The 60-CD set and the present one range over many of the same recordings but there are differences. For a start this one does not have a CD-ROM of notes and librettos. The present box has a 14-page essay by David Nice: well done Brilliant for not making false economies there. The 'missing' CDs are the five comprising historical recordings.
The symphonies - seven of them - are the same as in the 2011 set. For the most popular core symphonies (4-6) we are in the hands of Rozhdestvensky in 1987 with the LSO. They are in glorious form apart from the Andante of No. 4 which is unfeelingly quick. Tangy fillers come in the shape of Marche Slave, Capriccio Italien and The Storm. There's no sign of Tempest.
The Symphonies 1 and 3 are from a Vladimir Fedoseyev cycle. His fine Third is in harness with a tragically cloud-hung and angry Hamlet in thunderously affirmative sound. Yuri Simonov is in charge for Symphony No 2, Francesca (CD3) and Manfred. These are very good though not quite in the exultant Bernstein (CBS-Sony) vein. Technically, however, these recordings are exemplary - far superior to Bernstein’s CBS analogue.
Simonov favours a broad and steady stride in Francesca. He is gloriously well recorded and handles the central love-song with moody tenderness. Simonov’s Manfred (CD7) has its moments – again in the poetic Andante and kindred episodes in the finale (tr. 4 11:30) – but in overview tends towards the diffuse. It’s not a patch on Svetlanov (BMG/Scribendum/Melodiya) or Symeonov (Vista Vera).
The Orchestral Suites are from Marriner and the Stuttgart Radio orchestra. These are 1980s recordings originating from Capriccio. They are in clean and atmospheric sound with a delightfully spread stereo image – a great way to discover some little known Tchaikovsky though not up there with Dorati on Philips.
CDs 8 and 9 include incidental music for the theatre: 20 scenes from Hamlet as well as a Festival Overture on the Danish National Hymn. This is excellent and has been harvested in from Chandos. Geoffrey Simon is in charge. It is a pity that all three Tchaikovsky-Simon-Chandos CDs were not included. The Snow Maiden from Chistiakov combines charm and exuberance (review).
Contains CDs:
