In my first review of this set, I made a big deal of the fact that this cycle was recorded at Kingsway Hall in London - it was, in fact, a primary reason for my purchasing it. There is one exception among the symphonies: the Third Symphony in D major was recorded in Studio 1 of Abbey Road Studios from October 13-15, 1976. There isn't a really noticeable drop off in sound quality. Some of the depth achieved in Kingsway is sacrificed, but the clarity is off the charts. For whatever it's worth to listeners, this is the only symphony of this box set that wasn't recorded at Kingsway - and it's a great performance.
From the opening pizzicato of the bass section, this record is gripping. The orchestra's response to the most subtle fluctuations of tempo or dynamics is astonishing. Rostropovich interprets every line with the subtlety of the great soloist he was - and not just the string lines or melodies, but every bit of contrapuntal or accompaniment activity. Every detail is charged with meaning - I heard passages never audible on other recordings. Rostropovich knows the architecture of the piece so well that everything is perfectly paced. Conductors can get ham fisted or savage with the first movement of this piece, but not here. It's noble, exciting, glorious.
The second movement is taken at a real waltz tempo - the interplay between the woodwinds is an example of fine section work at its best. The third movement opens as a true elegy - a broader tempo (justified by its execution) than many other recordings. Rostropovich's reading imbues the movement with the type of Russian landscape tone painting we hear in the slow movement to the Symphony No 1. So often the third symphony is overlooked: this recording is proof that it shouldn't be.
The scherzo is taken briskly - the gossamer textures of the strings contrasting to the fleet exclamations of the winds, reminding us of the dance of the snowflakes from the Nutcracker - such a challenging movement, with such crisp, yet tonally full execution. I'll continue the drumbeat that all the musicians should be listed in the notes to every recording. That we can't name the members of the flute, oboe, or clarinet section here, or the trombone soloist, for instance, is criminal.
The finale is what one would expect after the first four movements - detail, precision, direction, all of it a masterful performance of the piece. Rostropovich and the LPO have delivered a performance worthy of this neglected masterpiece. It's the finest performance of No 3 I've ever heard.
This recording of the fantasy overture Romeo and Juliet was recorded about a year later, in August of 1977, also at Abbey Road. The opening is broader than most. This is a hallmark of Rostropovich's approach to this whole set. I'm usually highly critical of a broad approach to Tchaikovsky, but Slava & Co manage to sustain the musical interest and forward motion throughout. Still, while it's polished, meaningful, and extremely well performed, it sometimes lacks for me a certain amount of youthful fire and vigor early on. For that, I'd suggest Mikhail Pletnev's recording with the Russian National Orchestra from a couple of decades later. Having said that, no one in their right mind wouldn't want this recording as part of the set. It's worth it just to have Rostropovich's interpretation of the soaring love theme with the french horns coming over the top, and the climax of the whole piece. Musicians will learn a lot about the details - it's an excellent study recording for those interested in how the piece is put together - and the ending does not disappoint. The tympani figure is like doom itself. The chorale at the end a reminiscence that this was, after all, a tone poem about a play written by the same man who penned A Midsummer Night's Dream. The timpani roll at the end reminds us he also wrote Hamlet. No one will feel their twenty minutes was wasted listing to such a rendition. If you love Tchaikovsky, you'll want this disc in your collection.
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