Search - Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky, Neeme Järvi, London Philharmonic Orchestra :: Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 3; Symphony No. 7

A recording of a work which should be performed more.

10/31/1999

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Having never heard the "7th" Symphony when I first heard this disc, I really didn't know what to expect. It has now become one of my favorite recordings. While the symphony was more a work by Taneyev and Bogatryrev than by its originator, it does sound very Tchaikovskian, with overtones of the 5th, 6th, and Manfred Symphonies. I agree that the use of a snare drum late in the closing movement sounds a bit odd, but I still like the work. Jarvi's tempi are not always perfect, being sometimes too fast or slow, but the orchestra plays well and the recording quality is very good. Having the related piano concerto on the same disc invites comparison, and Tozer plays well. I wish more conductors would play and record this "7th" Symphony, which could become quite popular."

Jarvi vs. ormandy

01/05/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"My first acquaintance with Tchaikovsky's(reconstructed by Bogatyrev) 7th symphony was after Ormandy recorded it with the Philadelphia Orchestra. That was truly a grand recording, and indeed was the first recording of the work, as far as I know. I still have a tape of that recording, and it's interesting to compare it with the jarvi recording. Interpretations of Tchaikovsky's works tend to be somewhat standard after one has been exposed to many different ones over a period of time.........The Jarvi recording, being digital, is of course, crystal clear. But the Ormandy was not far behind in that regard. Once I saw the Ormandy advertised somewhere in a CD reissue, but I don't think it is available in that format any more. As reviewer No. l said in his review, it's very interesting to have the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 3 on the same disc with Symphony No. 7. The concerto is virtually the same music per se as the first movement of the symphony, and it's very interesting to hear how Bogatyrev rearranged the music for it to sound symphonically rather than as a solo concerto with orchestral accompaniment."

Impress your colleagues with these, but not acoustically...

Russell J. Grasso | Massachusetts, USA | 05/13/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This recording is not "crystal clear", it has some noise and the CD signal output is relatively low, causing you to raise the volume and therefore the noise level.The piano has some strange low end resonance that doesn't sound like a piano, especially when it is first heard. In summary, the engineering in this recording is second rate, recorded in a church rather than a hall or studio.Despite technical flaws, the first movement and the concerto are beautiful romantic pieces. I find myself drawn to them despite there simple structure and drawn out melodic idea. There is plenty of Tchaikovsky fortitude here with piano and orchestra exchanging single note chords in rapid succession. These are authentic Tchaikovsky, where great orchestration can take full dramatic advantage of a simple motives.As the symphonic movements progress, they are of lesser quality. Its a shame the last movement is not on par with the first or with that of the 5th symphony.Overall, these compositions are worth having, if maybe not in this incarnation."