Search - Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky, Ivan Fischer, Budapest Festival Orchestra :: Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4; Romeo and Juliet Overture [Hybrid SACD]

A fresh and unaffected performance of Tchaikovsky's 4th, stu

Mr Darcy | Australia | 02/21/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In this performance of the symphony, Tchaikovsky's melodies come up as fresh as paint. Fischer knows how to phrase imaginatively yet without excess sentamentality. Listen, for example, to the gently melancholic theme of the andantino in modo di canzona, as initially delivered by oboe and then reiterated throughout by other combinations of instruments; the woodwind playing in this movement is something to savour. Another key to Fischer's success is that he keeps all movements moving without lingering, a major requirement in a work that is consumed by man's struggle with fate.



Fischer's directness of approach has something in common with Maazel's excellent performance with the Cleveland Orchestra, on Telarc (although Fischer allows himself more freedom in phrasing).



The orchestra plays with virtuosity and refinement. The attack and articulation of the strings are impressive in the Finale, one of the quickest renditions I have heard.



The recorded sound is very good - wonderful bass. One thing for listeners to note is that the percussion instruments come through very powerfully - in the last movement, for example, you'll hear the cymbals as you would never have heard them before on other recordings.



"

A brisk reading without emotinal depth, but great sonics

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 04/21/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"After Ivan Fischer and his Budapest orchestra made such a brilliant reputation for themselves in Hungarian music, I was sorry to see their contract with Philips quietly dropped. Now they have returned to take advantage of the SACD boomlet, albeit in overpriced CDs that stray outside the Hungarian mainstream.



I wish I could say that Fischer is equally good at Tchaikovsky as he is at Liszt and Bartok, but this brisk Fourth Sym. seems to skim lightly and briskly over the surface of the composer's intentions. Tchaikovsky thought he was writing a symphony about Fate, in the sense that the Beethoven Fifth is about Fate (at least to the Romantic era), but Fate seems pretty breezy here. Admittedly, Fischer is up against some great recordings form the past that accentuate the drama to searing effect (Bernstein's 1958 recording and Mravinsky's 1960 one come to mind), but there is a recent EMI issue of the Fourth under Antonio Pappano that excels this one in every respect except its sonics, which are lovely. If you want a light- quick survey of this music, however, I guess Fischer's interpretation is for you."