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Oops, after writing all that I notice I mistyped Mravinsky.
I actually don't listen to a lot of Tchaikovsky, even though I greatly admire his melodic genius and his skill in orchestration. The works that get played most in my house are the early symphonies. I also realize that I have not heard a lot of Tchaikovsky live - just the first symphony, with MTT, the Pathetique with Ozawa, the 4th (don't recall the conductor), the Nutcracker with the SF Ballet, several times, and unfortunately the first piano concerto several times - really not a fan of that work. Oh, I also heard Sleeping Beauty live once, with the ABT.Anyway, last night I put on Mravinsky's 1961 recording of the Pathetique. I have long been an admirer of his way with the 5th - as subjective as his recording is, it is also incredibly intense and committed, and I have found that for me, it is really the only recording of this work I need. I learned the work on the Szell recording, which, not to anyone's surprise, is played in a much more straight forward manner.
I hadn't hear the Mravinsky 6th in many years, and I found myself not really warming to it - while I am completely convinced by his 5th, I found the interventions he makes in the 6th interrupt the line of the music, and I also found myself wishing I was listening to Toscanini instead. I have heard a number of 6ths on record, and to my taste Toscanini's way with the music digs deeper, even if the sound is kind of airless. The sound of Mravinsky's DG recording is uneven- at times you can hear some very nice details, at other times it is blotchy and coarse.
Interesting and unexpected outcome.
Edits: 03/04/17Follow Ups:
I love Building a Library. I will not spoil the ending, but I think the thread will not be disappointed.
Gregg
Very cool Gregg
I like the Mravinsky 5 & 6 performances, but the blatty, bright brass, which I'm guessing is how those musicians actually sounded, puts me off every time. They were bright on LP, and they are bright and piercing on CD.
No comment on the 4th symphony performance--I just don't like the piece.
Streaming the 2006 DG remastered version of the 6th and finding little to complain about as far as the quality of the recording, which was originally 1960 or thereabouts IIRC.
I have three or four copies of the original DG box sets on LP from my vinyl collecting days.
Mravinsky gallops right along, that's for sure. I wasn't around back in the day so I have no idea how Tchaikovsky saw it.
around during Tchaikovsky's time, that is. But Pierre Monteux was. Tchaikovsky gave four concerts in Paris during the period Monteux was a student at the Conservatoire there, and one was with Edouard Colonne, for whom Monteux would later be concertmaster and then assistant conductor. I don't know if Monteux attended any of those, maybe I'll research that some time. He did know and play for Brahms.
My point was, we listen to classical music very differently in the age of commercial recording and broadcasts, and now downloads and internet. All of that is pretty much post 1925. When my grandparents were growing up, if they wanted to listen to a symphony, someone in the family had to be able to play a reduction on the parlor piano. Only the wealthy few attended the symphony and opera every week.
Now, you can listen to Monteux conduct the Pathetique symphony repeatedly on a pocket-sized device while sitting in a boat in a lake in the woods, or on a tropical beach, or in an airplane at 40,000 feet. That's very different, in my opinion.
I've had the Mravinsky, Monteux and Markevich Tchaik 6 in my collection for many years, and I would describe all of them as highly "interventionist" in the sense that each of those conductors puts his distinctive, strong individual stamp on the symphony.
Of course, this symphony was written before the age of commercial recording, and was intended to be heard live. But now, we hear it endlessly on radio, or streaming, or downloads, or numerous LPs and CDs, in addition to the occasional live performance.
I think this has a major impact on our preferences. An idiosyncratic, distinctive performance can be exciting heard once live but become tiresome or even irritating if heard over and over.
It doesn't surprise me you turn to Toscanini's recordings. He usually does rather well with repeated listening with his precise, clean and not over-inflected approach to many of the romantic standards. Szell and Ormandy are very much Toscanini disciples.
My approach is to give the Tchaik 6 a rest and not listen to it for a while, as concertgoers in the late 19th century would have to do.
As for the sound, you need to hear the 24/96 download - it kind of smoothes things out! ;-)
Seriously though, do you find a noticeable difference between the SQ of the Mravinsky Fifth (which you like) and that of the Sixth (which you don't)? I don't recall noticing any differences like that myself. (I think I last listened to these performances about a year and a half ago.)
I'm not a fan of the Gramophone, but their description, "astounding playing from the Leningrad PO", in connection with this recording seems pretty right on to me.
I always find my way to Monteux's RCA Shaded Doggie for the 6th. As for the 4 and 5th, Mravinsky's DGG recordings rule. One has to keep in mind, I think vinyl in most of my classical preferences when I have them available.
Regards, Tom B.
Believe it or not I really like Bernstein in the 6th. His last movement makes me want to cry when I hear it
Alan
Not much of a fan of Tchaikowsky except I always enjoyed playing R&J.
Haven't heard the Mravinsky who I always get confused with Markevitch, hey, I'm almost 70, but I do like the Markevitch Little Russian (2) and the 4th that were done on Festivo Philips with the LSO. His conducting is crisp, to the point and the music is far less over-embellished than the later symphonies.
Have several 6ths including Toscanini and I guess Ormandy/Phil. is my fav (MS-7169) The cover of this re-issue Masterworks has a Martin Bookspan blurb, "This is the recording of the Pathetique I would recommend...blah,blah..." I'd agree.
I have the Fisher/Channel Classics Tchaik #6, in DSD, I like it a lot.
The 6th is my fav of his Symphonies.
Mravinsky's 6th is the only one I like. For the 4th I own Monteux/Boston and the 5th Haitink/Concertgebouw for unparalleled warmth and perfect horn solo ib slow movement. I don't find Monteux tempermentally suited to the 6th.
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