Customer Reviews

Peter Ilyich Tchaikovksy: Symphony No.1 in G Minor Op.13 "Winter Daydreams"

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Recorded in April 1985, this is one of the best performances of the symphony on record. One of Mariss Jansons's strengths as a conductor is to create a sense of atmosphere, and he comes up trumps in every movement. There is excitement and a sense of motion here, but also a sense of dreaminess, particularly in the second movement. The recording, while reverberant, nonetheless assists Jansons and the OPO in giving the second movement an almost wistful atmosphere! The scherzo is perfectly paced, and the finale has just the right amount of excitement without sounding like a football band! Highly recommended, this recording still rates highly despite the passage of 15 years!

Jansons performance of Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 1 in G minor, Op. 13 is very fine; the flaw of this disc is its short measure. At only 43'57" it can hardy be recommended at full price. Bernstein, Karajan, and Markevitch have all produced highly praised versions - available with generous couplings.

I bought this disc for $4, which is well worth it, but at $19, one must wonder what Chandos was thinking. (Of course, 24 years ago, discs did not have to be full to compete.)

If you are interested in Jansons' performances of Tchaikovsky's symphonies, I recommend the complete set (Tchaikovsky: Complete Symphonies). Investing in them separately is simply bad economics. I have heard five of the seven symphonies Jansons and his Oslo forces have recorded: all are fabulous, giving persuasion without curious idiosyncracies.

I am a huge fan of Mariss Jansons. Especially because I live in Pittsburgh, and he is the conductor of the PSO. However I was dissapointed with this performance of the Tchaikovsky #1. The First and last movement in particular. I am comparing this to the incredible Slatkin performance. In the first movement, Jansons fails to create winter atmosphere that is so characteristic of the first movement. In the last movement he sounds too reserved, and you long for a more loud, triumphant finale. On top of that, as is the case with all of the Jansons/Tchikovsky Symphonies, the sound quality is somewhat lacking. The strings are lacking in bass and midrange. Really, the Slatkin performanceis so unreal, it actually makes you think its winter, even in June.