Search - Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky, David Zinman, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra :: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Symphony No.4/Romeo and Juliet

Perfect.

D. Seymour | Atlanta, GA USA | 03/21/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Tension, Drama, Love, Fate, Death. All the best from General Hospital (except aliens) can be found musically on this disc. Fate begins the program heralding the unsettling introduction of Tchaikovsky's fourth symphony. Fate will interrupt again and again throughout the symphony like a nagging commercial break. The first movement flirts deliciously with disaster in a darkly depraved waltz. The second movement is soft, like a bedroom seduction scene, followed by the deceitful sneaking around behind other people's backs in the Scherzo. The finale lets loose all the petty jealously and confrontation. Zinman's finale is not to be missed. The key dynamics are captured beautifully on this Telarc recording from the softest pizzicato string to the loudest blast of Fate. After the symphony, hold on for one of the most riviting thrill rides in all romance. Romeo and Juliet is right up there with Finlandia in terms of a musical page-turner. Zinman's Baltimore Symphony steams through their passionate rendition of this perfect gem. A terrific overture, not a dry eye in the house."