Search - Tchaikovsky, Pierre Narrato :: Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto, Serenade for Strings

Good and enjoyable but not great

R. Broadhead | Southwestern USA | 06/06/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"These two beautiful works by Tchaikavsky are performed on this recording by the Festival Orchestra of Belgium conducted by Pierre Narrato. I purchased this recording because I did not have a copy of either of these works. The identity of violin soloist is not mentioned on either the CD or in the pamphlet that comes with it. Although the violinist is very good, he/she is not the accomplished world-class artist we are used to hearing on recordings of the likes of Oistrakh, Perlman, Heifitz, Szeryng, etc. The soloist plays all the notes with a good tempo but sounds a little bit stiff except in the Andante where the performance is excellent. The orchestra is much the same. This is the type of performance that one might hear from a good regional orchestra with perhaps an in-house soloist. Not terrible by any means but not what we are used to hearing on most CD's.



The Serenade for Strings is performed better than the concerto, but the performance still lacks fluidity.



On a positive note, this is an inexpensive recording and the sound quality is good. I wrestled with giving this 3 stars or 4 stars, and finally decided on 3. If you're looking for an inexpensive CD of these compositions, this recording is a good choice. If you are looking for an outstanding virtuoso performance, then you may wish to consider other recordings. I'll doubtless listen to this recording a number of times."