ED1 DGG 138659 RED STEREO LOGO TCHAIKOVSKY SYMPHONY 6 -

$

205

 PETER TCHAIKOVSKY

SYMPHONY NO. 6 IN B MINOR, Op. 74

(PATHETIQUE)

LENINGRAD PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

CONDUCTED BY

EVGENI MRAVINSKY

DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON GESELLSCHAFT

138659  ST 33  SLPM

STEREO

Original 1961 First Edition DGG record with red stereo logo below the bright-yellow         cartouche. Early yellow label with large arrangement of tulips above the crown at the                  12 o'clock position and Alle Hersteller at the 1 o'clock position. The LP is MINT and                   appears unplayed. Surfaces are smooth and retain their original lustre. There is no                   sign of spider tracery around the spindle hole. The jacket is MINT. Lamination                           overall is fully intact and spotlessly clean.

The Leningrad Philharmonic, which is now known as the St. Petersburg Philharmonic,                is Russia's oldest orchestra. The Slavic quality is so deeply ingrained in the orchestra                that you keep hearing Russian music even when Austro-German repetoire is being                   played. It is easy to discern the characteristic Russian approach to orchestral                            coloration: dark, lush string sound; pungent, even edgy, wind timbres; plangent                          brasses; and exuberant percussion. Tempos are faster than usual, sometimes even                   furious. Anyone wishing to luxuriate in the deep, glowering sound and virtuosity                      this mighty orchestra can produce should look to the late Tchaikovsky symphonies.                 With the Russian musicians under Mravinsky, this music is not so much played as                       felt. Deeply felt.

Although the Leningrad Philharmonic of the 1960s may not be the equal technically                     of, say, the Vienna Philharmonic -- For heaven's sake! what is? -- Mravinsky's superb performance of the Sixth Symphony steals the show. His interpretation of it stands               apart from all others. It's about coming to terms with the soul.   There are moments                 when it is just over the top. Mravinsky takes the first movement slowly. You not only             feel a sense of sadness but also a sense of emerging resignation. The rich emotional                  canvas is properly and sensitively developed, but it is sorrow that occupies centre                stage. Surely this weighed heavily on Tchaikovsky when writing the Pathetique.                          It has to be heard to be believed. The waltz in the second movement comes across                        perfectly--as both a respite from the dark and bittersweet first movement and a                              portent of things to come. Now and then there is a hint of weariness that is                                   interspersed with what seems to be a valiant momentary effort by the composer                             to ignore or hide from the inevitable outcome. The march in the third movement                         struts in vainglory. The agreeably distended finale is superbly weighed, timed and                     choreographed. Here we encounter more phenomenal playing. Listen to the way         Mravinsky urges the strings into the rushing mix with the horns and winds. Note                       his manner of driving the instruments up and down. Catch the syncopated rhythms                and the propulsive drive--fanfare properly displayed, without exaggeration.  But                         Tchaikovsky's fate is sealed. The sadness intensifies. The plunge into despair has                        returned and deepened. The effect overall becomes riveting, a resignation, final.                                                 

In sum, a fabulous performance that is both stunningly subtle and brazenly proud.                  The sound is remarkably good for the time, a little edgy in the loudest passages but wonderfully present, just like the performance itself. This is an essential recording.                     If you love the music of Tchaikovsky, it is an absolute must-have!

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