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Pletnev's Pentatone Tchaikovsky Manfred: Very pleasantly surprised!

Posted by jdaniel@jps.net on September 17, 2016 at 15:56:34

IMHO Pletnev is a conductor of the "thin-lipped" variety: like Parvo Jarvi, his interpretations--the ones I've heard-- tend to be more head than heart.

Against my expectations, his Manfred turned out to be an enthralling, (and extremely well-recorded) ride. The second and third mov'ts are lovely; and the RNO's playing an absolute joy, woodwinds in the 2nd mov't especially.

Things go a bit off the rails at the beginning of the 4th mov't. Pletnev contrasts two themes so dramatically that it's impossible not to get distracted. If you can imagine a stiff, old Russian grandpa competing with a young kid in a dance off, you'll survive the moment. Otherwise, the mov't holds together unusually well.

The pipe organ in the end, (love it or hate it), is DEEP. When I was a teenager, I couldn't imagine another composer writing a finale as transcendent as Tchaikovsky's; the organ combined with shimmering, Wagnerian strings gave me the vapors back then. Funny.

The first mov't IMHO contains Tchaikovsky's most compelling writing, especially the frenzied climax: I was really worried Pletnev would find Tchaikovsky's hysterics too embarrassing and play them down, (or speed through) but no: the final pages really pack a wallop. Complaints? Well, the Gong takes a little time to ring, and there are just a few spots of pedantic articulation, but overall the performance gave me chills, as it should. The whole mov't is wonderfully gloomy and dark.

This Pentatone was my first large-scale orchestral download in DSD. Either the recording team had an unusually good day, or DSD really does take the listening experience to a new level.

I only have two PCM 96/24 BIS orchestral recordings to compare, (Schreker in Sweden and Vansky in Minnesota), and as warm and inviting as BIS' sound is, it seems to lack framing and perspective. With the Pentatone, I found myself thinking, "Ah. Rafters. Walls. Stage.... There they are." Obviously far, far too early to generalize though.

In any case, having a blast.

Edits: 09/17/16

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