Description

Conductor Yevgeny Mravinsky leads the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra in gripping performances of Peter Ilyich Tchaikovskys Symphony No. 4 In F Minor, Op.36, Symphony No. 5 In E Minor, Op.64 and Symphony No. 6 In B Minor, Op.74 Pathétique. These versions of Tchaikovskys Symphonies Nos. 4-6, are regarded as definitive performances today. Theyre presented here in a 3LP box set, with audio based on the original tapes and featuring copies of the original recording journals. The box cover is adapted from the original release and each symphony is housed in a separate sleeve, reprinted from a 1960s pressing, with lacquers cut at Emil Berliner.

At the height of the Cold War, the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra under its legendary principal conductor Evgeny Mravinsky visited Britain in September 1960, giving sensational concerts in Edinburgh and London which drew ecstatic responses from both press and public. Since this virtuoso orchestra was then poorly represented in Western record catalogues, Deutsche Grammophons engineers astutely seized the opportunity to capture their playing in far superior sound to anything that could be produced by their Soviet counterparts. Among the most notable sessions taped in Wembley Town Hall was Mravinskys blazingly urgent account of Tchaikovskys Fourth Symphony.

Ever the perfectionist, the conductor was so pleased with the quality of this recording that two months later he and the orchestra agreed to record the last two symphonies for DG, this time in Viennas Musikverein. Initially released on three separate stereo LPs, these Tchaikovsky performances convey a highly-strung raw energy that remains undimmed up to the present day. The Finale of No. 5, delivered at a manically swift pace, is one of high points, guaranteed to take your breath away. BBC Music Magazine

Musicians:
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, composer
Yevgeny Mravinsky, conductor
Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra