Customer Reviews

Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 / Swan Lake Suite, Op. 20

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Among Solti's Tchaikovsky Symphony recordings, 5th must be the finest, no doubt. He made very eloquent recording of Pathetique and slightly above average account of 4th. His account of Tchaikovsky's 5th is far more superior. Supported by the glorious sound of CSO brass, Solti gives very exciting and profound performance with admirable verve, noble grace and explosive climaxes. Highly recommendable along side Mravinsky, Karajan (DG & EMI), Ormandy (RCA), Klemperer, Svetlanov's classic accounts.

Okay, true Tchaikovsky fanatics will probably tell you there are superior interpretions out there. I'm sorry, but I say Tchaikovsky, Solti and the Chicago Symphony were made for each other! A classical recording that I have not grown 'accustomed' to; it still thrills me every time. Tchaikovsky's music (in particular this recording of the 5th) is the perfect vehicle for the Chicago Symphony's majesty, and vice versa! And as for the Swan Lake suite, I defy you to find a better version out there.

Solti and the CSO performing one of the most moving and stirring symphony ever composed! This is THE 5th! The conducting skill of Solti shines through on this recording. The deepth of tonal quality allows the listener to hear the sheer beauty of this masterpiece. After listening to this performance it will become your "measuring stick" to see if other conducters and orchestras meet the mark. And as if that was not enough, this disc includes a compelling performance of Swan Lake Suite. What a BONUS! BUY this CD, you will not regret it.

One can only hope that the CSO will re-release the older recordings from the 60s and 70s when the relationship between the orchestra and conductor was still fresh. Case in point is the orchestra's recording of the Tchaikovsky 5th on LP which I sent to the trash yard earlier this year to clear out space for replacement CDs. While the performance here is more precise, it lacks some of the vitality and spontaneity of the old recording. Not being able to listen to them side-by-side certainly makes this review suspect, but someone ought to give us the chance to do so on the same media even if the recording is only ADD.

Worse still, as I write this, even this CD is now out of print. My copy was purchased used on eBay.

Hands down the best performance available. Both the Ormandy and Szell performances collect dust on my shelf. Chailly conducted the CSO in Fall 1999 in a powerful performance - he should record Tchaikovsky's 5th with the CSO so we can compare.

My father purchased Tchaikovsky's 5th with the Chicago Symphony (Solti) as a Christmas gift for me. After we listened to it, he took it home for himself and I was forced to purchase it from Amazon.

I agree with the earlier reviewers who call this rather unsung recording Solti's best Tchaikovsky. The Fifth Sym. has had any number of eminent peerformances on disc, but none can match the virtuosic thrill of the CSO, and since Solti is in an unusually non-aggressive mood, I must pay him a high compliment: this is the Tchaikovsky Fifth as if conducted by Reiner, his great predecessor. There is such poise and balance in the playing, such urgency without excess, and above all such incomparable ensemble that one marvels. There is nothing special about Solti's tempos or phrasing. The style is thoroughly American in its directness, with Russian soul completely absent. No shadows darken a reading that is triumphal more or less from beginning to end. By 1987, when this recording was made, Decca had mastered the digital format; the sonics are clear, vivid, closely miked, and quite visceral. I haven't mentioned the famed Chicago brass, who erupt in glorious cry throughout. Some might complain that they dominate too much, but it seems curmudgeonly to ask them to hold back on the thrills.

As a filler, we get a generous Swan Lake Suite that rivals Karajan's two versions from Berlin and Vienna for sheer sumptuousness. I'm not often an unalloyed admirer of Solti in symphonic repertoire, but this CD is irresistible.

I kinda liked it. Actually, this recording, particularly of the fourth movement, is unbelievable. Exciting. Inspired. People considering suicide should be forced to listen to this because it gives meaning to life. If politicians heard it they would stop their squabbling and focus on the greater good. Solti and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra clearly understood the potential of this piece and performed it masterfully. Don't listen to the Amazon butchered computer samples and don't listen to this on lousy stereo equipment. I've purchased and tried many recordings of this piece and this one is by far the best. I've bought a dozen copies for friends and for myself. I chose a stereo system solely on the basis of which would do justice to this recording.