Search - Tchaikovsky, Slatkin, Slso :: Symphony 5 / Tempest

Leonard Slatkin has a special affinity for Russian music, and he conducts these Tchaikovsky performances with great authority and passion. The Fifth Symphony, despite its popularity, has proved an elusive piece to record really well. The problem lies with the finale, which can sound inflated and artificial after the moody music that precedes it. Slatkin paces the music to perfection, keeping up momentum and allowing time to savor the music's many attractive details. The slow movement rises to a climax of great intensity, without a trace of false hysteria. The Tempest is a gorgeous tone poem that ought to be better known that it is. Its inclusion here adds to the disc's attractions. --David Hurwitz