Search - Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky, Andris Nelsons, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra :: Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5; Hamlet Overture

Highly recommended

Paul C. Lewis | U.K. | 02/14/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is an excellent account of what can be a difficult Tchaikovsky symphony.

All too often the final movement is rushed, reducing the effect to a scramble with a result of reducing the music to banality. Not so here with the excellent Nelsons who understands the pit falls and judiciously avoids them. In the first movement Nelsons creates moments of great power and avoids over sentimentality, similarily in the second movement he keeps up the momentum.

Also a wonderful performance of the Hamlet overture, often overlooked in favour of the more famous Romeo and Juliet but in my opinion possibly better than the latter.

The C.B.S.O. play with great conviction and the recording is extremely good.

This has to be a top choice for two Tchaikovsky masterpieces."