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Review by mwagner1962 May 12, 2005 (11 of 11 found this review helpful)
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Oh my, where do I start??? I guess that I can say that this is one of the most rambunctious recording/performances of the Tchaikovsky 4th Symphony I have ever heard. I am primarily talking about the 4th movement, where I will start my review.
The movement starts out a a nice tempo, typical of many other recordings I have heard, both live and on record. Where does it get so rambunctious?? Near the end, where it seems Gergiev starts to lose control of the low brass. And once again, it is bizarre to hear the low brass from the left of the orchestra. Needless to say, I get the same impressions that I used to get listening to Solti/CSO recordings where the brass simply took over, and took no prisoners!!! I think that part of the problem may be the hall where it was recorded. The stage is not deep, and it is a hard hall to record in (at least from what I have heard and read). So maybe some of the huge brass (which in a normal concert hall would be okay)is in places simply overwhelming on this recording. Maybe it was incredibly exciting????
The rest of the symphony is quite nice, and I love Gergiev's more laid pacing of the 1st movement (after the big opening fanfares). I like the pacing of the 3rd movement, and the 2nd movements pacing allows Gergiev to really milk the soaring melodic lines.
Sound over all is quite good and lacks the various annoying extra "sounds" that I found on the 6th Symphony. Space around the musicians, especially the woodwinds, is top notch. The soundstage is not too deep (because of the hall itself) so that may be an issue for some. However, if you have ever seen any of the New Year's Eve in Vienna before, that all you see is where that record. SO, no chance of a really deep soundstage...but this is not an issue for me.
I am vary happy with the SACD, and despite some raucous brass towards the end (which is not a terrible thing) I imagine that most people will like this.
My $.02!!!!
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