Product Reviews
The relatively little-known Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse might not be the first place you'd think to look for a recording of Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64, but bear in mind that big-budget versions of works like this by big-name orchestras are largely a thing of the past. This version, with the young Ossetian conductor Tugan Sokhiev at the helm, is sufficiently far off the classic model that if Tchaikovsky for you is all about sugar plums dancing in your head and tapping your feet along with the big orchestral climaxes, you may want to look elsewhere. But it's actually a reading that accomplishes what it sets out to do. Sokhiev reins in the strings, giving room to the Toulouse orchestra's brasses and low winds, who in turn deliver rich solo lines. He keeps to quick tempos but doesn't attempt the broad sweep of some of the famed Russian recordings. The result is another Tchaikovsky recording that envisions the composer not as an inspiring arch-melodist but as a proto-modern, somewhat nervous individual. The album ends with Shostakovich's Festive Overture, Op. 96, one of the most uncomplicated works he ever wrote, and one in which he seemed to be looking back over his shoulder at Stalin's henchmen. It's not a particularly persuasive conclusion. But Na ve's engineering, as usual, is very strong. Worthwhile for good collections of Tchaikovsky. ~ James Manheim, Rovi