The Life and Works of Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky [BOX SET]

Maria Kliegel (Orchestra), Tchaikovsky' (Performer), Adrian Leaper (Performer), Andrew Mogrelia (Performer), Anthony Bramall (Performer), Antoni Wit (Artist), Gerhard Markson (Artist), Kenneth Jean (Artist), Michael Halasz (Artist), Ondrej Lenard (Artist), Philippe Entremont (Artist), Stefan Sanderling (Artist), CSSR State Philharmonic Orchestra (Artist), National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland (Artist), National Symphony Orchestra of Polish Radio and Television (Artist), National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine (Artist), Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra (Artist), Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (Artist), Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra (Artist), Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra (Artist), Wiener Kammerorchester (Artist), Bernd Glemser (Artist), Oxana Yablonskaya (Artist), Takako Nishizaki (Artist), Vladimir Grishko (Artist)

Product Details

• Performer: Tchaikovsky', Adrian Leaper, Andrew Mogrelia, Anthony Bramall
• Orchestra: Maria Kliegel
• Audio CD (July 16, 2002)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 4
• Format: Box set
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: Naxos
• ASIN: B0000669V2
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #308,277 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating look at a tortured genius, August 20, 2002

By	F. Behrens "Frank Behrens" (Keene, NH USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Naxos continues to do a wonderful job with its "Life and Works" series. Quite some time ago, we had a Life/Works of Mozart, one of Chopin and then two more, Liszt and Beethoven. he latter are even better packaged than are the earlier sets, with a thick booklet that offers us essays on the historical background, the position of the composer in his time, a look at the major works, a listening plan, recommended readings, personalities, a calendar of the artist's life, a glossary, and a discography. This booklet is worth the price of the set alone.

Now we have two more entries in this amazing series, again written and narrated by Jeremy Siepmann: "Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky" (8.558036-39) with a playing time of 4 hrs. 5 min. and "Johann Sebastian Bach" (8.558051-54) with a playing time of 4 hrs. 34 minutes. (Please see my comments on the Bach set on its webpage.)

Was there ever a sadder composer than Tchaikovsky? Siepmann practically introduces us to the child in his cradle and covers his 53 or so years of torment over his music, his sexuality, his impossibly hopeless marriage his strange relationship with Mme von Meck, and above all his music.

To make the recording more vivid, the producers have assigned professional actors the roles of the composer himself (Malcolm Sinclair), the women in his life (Karen Archer and Teresa Gallagher) and the men (Stephen Thorne and David Timson). There are many music examples (drawn, of course, from Naxos recordings), some of them considerably longer than necessary. For example, the "Sugar Plum Fairy" is heard at length to represent all of the "Nutcracker" score when several shorter samplings would have served the purpose better. But this has been true for the entire series, and perhaps the producers will rethink this aspect.