London Philharmonic Orchestra
Mstislav Rostropovich, conductor
Warner Music re-release box set of 6 CDs, containing Tchaikovsky's Symphonies 1-6, 'Manfred' Symphony, Romeo & Juliet, Francesca Da Rimini, '1812' Overture, and the Rococo Variations
Disc 1:
I'm not familiar enough with Rostropovich's career to say whether these were his debut recordings as a conductor, but they were made only a couple of years after his defection from the Soviet Union, so they must have at least a little historical importance within his catalog.
Nearly all of them were recorded in Kingsway Hall in London -- a legendary recording venue for symphony orchestras which was sadly demolished in 1998. If you want to hear absolutely incredible orchestral sound, the recording of Vaughan Williams's The Pilgrim's Progress by Sir Adrian Boult with the LPO in 1972 is a fine example. I doubt anywhere but Kingsway Hall would have allowed or yielded the colors, range of power, etc.
Anyone who has played in a symphony orchestra will tell you the hall is a determining factor in the identity of an orchestra's sound. Severance Hall in Cleveland, Carnegie in NY, the Musikverien in Vienna, the Kennedy Center in DC -- these are not merely interchangeable buildings, but halls which place sonic demands on the performers. The best of them reward excellence, and Kingsway Hall was second to none for recording purposes. That all but Symphony #3 in this set were recorded there made it a must buy for me. Seriously. I bought this set largely because I wanted to hear what the Tchaikovsky symphonies would sound like in Kingsway Hall.
The sound does not disappoint. Like the other great Kingsway/London Phil recordings of that era, the orchestra can sound massive -- all the colors of the instruments can be developed and contrasted, and a sense of warmth, but with vast space in the music, is present. It really is astonishing. Because of this, Rostropovich has a very free hand in how to shape the music -- and his hand, at least in this first disc, seems darn near unerring.
This interpretation of Symphony No 1 ("Winter Dreams") is different from any others I've heard. His tempi are often slightly slower than my favorites of the past, but the response of the orchestra to even his slightest fluctuations is so attentive and organic...it's phenomenal music making.
I'm very picky about this piece. I dislike the tendency of many conductors to get lost in Tchaikovsky's melodies -- to wallow around in them or stretch them. In general, if you perform his works with an eye to form and crispness of expression, they are much more satisfying. The melodies will take care of themselves--and are more beautiful if played with sincerity rather than sentimentality. The very opening of the First Symphony is for me the most dangerous spot. If a conductor starts too slowly here, it ruins the whole piece for me--the intensity of the opening question presented by the flutes and bassoons is lost.
Rostropovich begins at a slightly slower tempo than my past favorites (Mehta with LA circa 1976 and Svetlanov with State Symphony of the USSR circa 1965) but his use of gentle stringendo is captivating. The orchestra is incredibly responsive to him throughout. Most striking is the massive sound of the orchestra compared to many other recordings, yet the music doesn't lose its fleet crispness.
The attention to detail is remarkable -- inner voices emphasized which are usually lost in the wash, articulations defined more clearly. Oftentimes in the last three movements, Rostropovich will take more time than usual on what might seem a mere connecting passage, highlighting the basses or some other aspect of the score not usually noticed, yet it never seems pedantic -- in doing so, he illuminates the structure and meaning of the piece more profoundly.
His interpretation of the fourth movement, especially, shapes the music in a way I've never heard before -- contrasting sections much more drastically, but without any sort of interpretive whiplash. I think those listeners who are inclined to find the Finale too bombastic (a common criticism) might be persuaded of the merits of the piece after listening to this recording.
Symphony No 2 is like the first in every way. The orchestra just sounds bigger than most, the colors and voices all singing and properly slotted. For me the "Little Russian" is Tchaikovsky's least impressive symphony -- it's certainly got great melodies and is well done, but it lacks the brilliance of depth of his others. Particularly problematic is the last movement, which can veer too far into a music hall sound. Rostropovich's solution is to take the Finale a little slower and try to give it a more stately gravitas. It seems a good solution, though perhaps there is a better one still out there.
Overall, I find this disc among the most original and best recordings of Tchaik 1 and 2 that I've heard.
Stay tuned for more reviews of this cycle, which I'd not known about until relatively recently.
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