Tchaikovsky: Suite No. 2; The Tempest

On this CD:

1. Suite No. 2 ("Charactéristique"), for orchestra in C major, Op. 53
Composed by Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky
Performed by Detroit Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by Neeme Jarvi

2. The Tempest, fantasy-overture for orchestra in F minor, Op.18
Composed by Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky
Performed by Detroit Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by Neeme Jarvi

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
The four orchestral suites of Tchaikovsky ought to be performed more often. Though more relaxed in mood than the symphonies, they are composed with extraordinary craft and resourcefulness. The Second Suite contains some of the composer's most interesting orchestration, including a part for accordion! The Tempest, another neglected work, is equally rewarding. Try these pieces. You won't be sorry. --David Hurwitz

Tracks:

Richard III - Prelude
Music For King Lear - The Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream - Nocturne
The Tempest
Othello - Overture
The Merchant Of Venice
Troilus And Cressida
Falstaff - Dream Interlude
Henry V - Touch Her Soft Lips and Part
Hamlet
Romeo And Juliet - The Montagues And Capulets
As You Like It - Waterfall Scene
Macbeth

Tchaikovsky: Symphonies Nos. 1-6; Orchestral Works (Limited Edition)

Average customer rating:

Is Abbado better or worse in Tchaikovsky than his reputation?

Tchaikovsky: Symphonies Nos. 1-6; Orchestral Works (Limited Edition)

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Classical Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Mendelssohn: 5 Symphonies; 7 Overtures
Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 1-9; Overtures; Violin Concerto (Limited Edition)
Stravinsky: SYMPHONIES
Prokofiev: 7 Symphonies; Lieutenant Kijé
Dvorák: The String Quartets

ASIN: B00006OA67
Release Date: 2002-01-01

Tracks:

Symphony No 1 In G Minor
Symphony No 2 In C Minor
Symphony No 3 In D Major
Symphony No 4 In F Minor
Symphony No 5 In E Minor
Symphony No 6 In B Minor

Customer Reviews:

Is Abbado better or worse in Tchaikovsky than his reputation?.......2007-02-17

Claudio Abbado spent considerable time with the CSO in the 1980s but rarely returned (so far as I know) after he was appointed as Karajan's successor in Berlin. His complete Tchaikovsky cycle was a flagship enterprise for Sony, and yet the results divide listeners, some of whom categorically dismiss Abbado's interpretations as boring and fussy, lacking in Slavic passion. I had casually bought into that judgment but decided recently to listen to the whole cycle afresh, leading to the following, sometimes surprising conclusions:

Sym. #1: We start off on a high point. This work, subtitled 'Winter Dreams,' is the most immature of the symphonies, relying on much repetition in place of solid sonata development, and at times it's hard to distinguish why this is a symphony and not part of a ballet suite. However, the melodies are gorgeous, and a conductor with real conviction can make the music come across. Abbado spins out the balletic first movement with energy and verve--it makes the often recommended Tilson Thomas version from Boston (on DG) seem overly refined. The lyrical second movement evokes real tenderness, the Scherzo (another balletic movement) skips along lightly but could use more rhythmic emphasis, and the finale, after an Andante lugubre introduction that could be darker, sweeps convincingly into the grand allegro, which has lots of punch and vitality. In all, an excellent performance. After you count in the fine sonics and the gorgeous playing of the Chicago Sym., Abbado outshines all his Western competition, including Karajan, Mehta, and Bernstein in their complete sets.

Sym. #2: Outstandings recordings of the First Sym. are thin on the ground, but not of the 'Little Russian,' which boasts a classic from Giulini (EMI) and a committed reading from Bernstein (Sony). Abbado has a great advantage in outstanding solo parts played with style and commitment by the Chicagoans--you won't hear better from Karajan's Berliners. Rather than aiming for folk-style earthiness, Abbado takes the work to be grander, more symphonically European. In that vein the first movement is convincing and thrilling. But the march that follows is reticent and fussy. The performance is back in form with an energetic, propulsive Scherzo, a total success. The finale is imposingly grand at the outset, rich with brass sonorities, and although the main allegro section sounds a bit fussed over, it has requisite vigor and enthusiasm. In sum, another success, much better played and recorded than esteemed rivals like Dorati on Mercury and Markevitch on Philips.

Sym. #3: The "Polish" Sym. is the problem child, a score so drawn out and balletic (Balanchine based his full-length "Jewels" on it) that few conductors can hold it together symphonically. It doesn't help matters that so much of the music hovers around Andante instead of a vigorous Allegro, or that the harmonies are often ambiguous. Abbado takes the shadowy first movement as a processional, delicately nuanced in the phrasing but moving along. It works well, but the next movement "Alla Tedesca" sounds exactly the same; he hasn't found any contrast in tempo or mood. The third movement, which is yet another shadowy andante, sounds inward and melancholy. By now the wandering nature of the piece has won out; attention begins to wander, to. Abbado doesn't find enough earthiness in the mercurial Scherzo to salvage matters, so we might as well give in and enjoy this as ballet. Tchaikovsky wants the finale to be played "with fire," but Abbado remains at low temperature, smooth and flowing. I've been highly critical here, so let it be said that none of Abbado's Western rivals do any better. Call this attempt to interpret a sprawling ballet-symphony a middling success, with reservations.

Sym. #4: The last three symphonies are meat for every great conductor, needless to say, so Abbado had little chance of rising to the very summit. He competes with himself, in fact, given that his Decca recording of the Fourth with the Vienna Phil. ranks among his best recordings from the Seventies. A good or even very good reading won't do, and that's about all that Abbado gives us. The CSO brass suddenly begin to snarl a bit, a la Solti, and softer passages get fussed over. The first movement fails to cohere convincingly, and one wonders exactly where the interpretation is going. Is this just big-band international Tchaikovsky? On the whole, yes. The oboe solo in the Andante flows by without much individuality or expression, and you realize that this music doesn't mean much to anyone here. The Scherzo is virtuosic without being thrilling. The finale is heavy and not fast enough to raise one's blood, immediately turning tepid in the lyrical second subject. All in all, not an inspired reading. In fact, a definite miss unless you simply must hear the CSO run thorugh its paces.

Sym. #5: Although much loved, the Fifth suffers from repeating the same motive in the first and last movements, as well as repetitive development sections that hammer simple rhythmic patterns over and over. To really succeed, an interpretation must be intense, dramatic, and played with edge of the seat intensity (in a word, the way Mravinsky does it). Abbado starts out with a full, broad statement that isn't premonitory enough (it doesn't promise great things to come), but no one can doubt how detailed and beautiful the playing is. There's a lot to be said for avoiding banality in this music or hollow grandiosity. Add in the outstanding Chicago playing (thankfully less blaring in the brass), and the first movement turns into a real success. Likewise the Andante, which begins with ravishing cellos and a natural, unforced solo horn. Here Abbado moves things along rather quickly, perhaps too much so for the music to tell as expressively as it might. But again, no sentimentality allowed. The waltz Scherzo is weaker in its characterization, coming off as well played but faceless. Up to this point, I've been feeling that Abbado's reading deserves respet, which is confirmed by a sober but full-voiced finale, the place where sentimentality and false heroics lay real traps. In all, I like this Fifth and rate it higher than the Fourth. Those who prefer blood-and-thunder won't agree. This is a Fifth for those who usually avoid the work.

Sym. #6: It's as difficult to produce a truly memorable 'Pathetique' as it is to produce a truly memorable Beethoven Fifth, and yet neither work ever misfires under a good conductor. So the challenge is greatness, pure and simple. Abbado had looming over his head Reiner's acclaimed Sixth with the same CSO in Living Stereo on RCA, a classic. Let's note right off that the playing and recording here are up to Reiner's standards. Reiner was a cool customer, perhaps the greatest technicin of his day. Abbado is cool, too, but without the intensity of a master craftsman. His 'Pathetique' is too loose-limbed at the beginning; one soon realizes that as with the Fourth, he has no pressing thing to say in this music. One episode follows another beautifully, if at times cautiously (E.g., a tepid second subject in the opening movement that needs to soar). The succeeding movements don't change that impression, even though everyone concerned tries to thrill us in the Scherzo, and do. Tchaikovksy's last symphony rises and falls on its tragic finale--I want a wrenching catharsis--but Abbado has decided that pathos is the dominant feeling. He's not alone in that, so if you want less than catharsis, here is a well-played finale that I find unmemorable. In all, I'd place Abbado's Sixth a little higher than the Fourth but well shy of the Fifth.

Overall judgement: I was surprised, given its lackluster reputation, that this is often a spectacular set, full of exciting playing. Abbado has no riveting conception in the last three symphonies, and in fact rises to his best in the First and Second. For overall conviction, I'd buy the Temirkanov set on RCA, but Abbado is more convincing to me than Karajan, and better in the early works than Bernstein. Experienced collectors will already have multiple favorites among the individual suymphonies and won't want a complete set. For them, Abbado's "Winter Dreams" is the overlooked gem.

Average customer rating:

Melodic
A Beautiful Disc - Essential Tchaikovsky

Tchaikovsky: Suite No. 2; The Tempest

Manufacturer: Chandos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Tracks:

Suite No. 2, Op. 53: I. Jeu de sons
Suite No. 2, Op. 53: II. Valse
Suite No. 2, Op. 53: III. Scherzo burlesque
Suite No. 2, Op. 53: IV. Reves d'enfant
Suite No. 2, Op. 53: V. Danse baroque
The Tempest, Op. 18: Andante con moto -
The Tempest, Op. 18: Allegro moderato - Andante alla breve
The Tempest, Op. 18: Allegro vivace
The Tempest, Op. 18: Andante con moto - Andantino
The Tempest, Op. 18: Allegro animato - Allegro vivo
The Tempest, Op. 18: Andante non tanto - Andante
The Tempest, Op. 18: Allegro molto - Andante non tanto - Allegro risoluto
The Tempest, Op. 18: Andante con moto

Amazon.com

The four orchestral suites of Tchaikovsky ought to be performed more often. Though more relaxed in mood than the symphonies, they are composed with extraordinary craft and resourcefulness. The Second Suite contains some of the composer's most interesting orchestration, including a part for accordion! The Tempest, another neglected work, is equally rewarding. Try these pieces. You won't be sorry. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews:

Melodic.......2007-02-08

I heard the closing portion of Tchaikovsky's The Tempest while listening to Swiss radio online and was immediately taken by it. One can never go wrong with a Neeme Jarvi recording, so I bought this Chandos performance and found it enchanting. The Suite No. 2 is equally well-played.

A Beautiful Disc - Essential Tchaikovsky.......2006-08-03

Tchaikovsky's Second Suite was written in 1884 when the opera Mazeppa was composed and was dedicated to his sister-in-law (who had married his brother Anatoly). The composer was visiting his brother when he composed the suite and he is said to have used a cipher to include the names of his brother, his wife and their children in the first movement called "Play of Sounds". The suite is in five movements and contains some of Tchaikovsky's most melodious music which certainly deserves to be better known. The second movement is a captivating waltz and the third an energetic scherzo. The fourth movement is a beautiful andante titled Reves d'enfant, harkening back to the domestic atmosphere of his brother's home and depicting the adventurous dreams of the children. The final movement is a dance cast in a baroque style and reminded me of the ballet music of Sleeping Beauty.

The Tempest is an early work and was suggested to Tchaikovsky by Balakirev; it was composed in 1873 and was well received on its premiere. It is an atmospheric depiction of the play by Shakespeare. The music begins by depicting the sea moving into the action of the play where Prospero raises the storm that will ship wreck his enemies on his island. The is a nice love music episode for Miranda and Ferdinand that is not as well known as the famous sequence from Romeo and Juliet but just as effective and passionate. The orchestra is brought to a climax as Prospero relinquishes magic and we are returned to the sea music of the opening. This is a beautifully conceived work that is not played often in concert and is somewhat difficult to bring off. The performance by Neeme Jarvi and the Detroit Symphony effortlessly explores the orchestral textures, turning in a superb performance.

Average customer rating:

Boult's little-known skill outside British music
eclectic boult

Sir Adrian Boult

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Great Conductors of the 20th Century: Fritz Reiner
André Cluytens
Great Conductors of the 20th Century: Rafael Kubelik
Great Conductors of the 20th Century: Dimitri Mitropoulos
Otto Klemperer

ASIN: B00006IGIT
Release Date: 2003-02-11

Tracks:

Overture 'Rob Roy', Op.54
I. Lento - Allegro Non Troppo - Sir Adrian Boult
II. Allegretto - Attacca: - Sir Adrian Boult
III. Allegro Non Troppo - Sir Adrian Boult
IV. Tema Con Variazioni. Andante Con Moto
Variation 1
Var. 2: Molto Piu Mosso
Var. 3: Tempo Del Tema
Var. 4: Tempo Del Tema
Var. 5: Allegro Risoluto
Var. 6: Allegro Vivace
Var. 7: Moderato
Var. 8: Largo
Var. 9: Allegro Molto Vivace
Var. 10: Allegro Vivo Ed Poco Rubato
Var. 11: Moderato Mosso
Var. 12: Finale - Polacca. Moderato Assai/Allegro Moderato/Tempo Di Polacca, Molto Brillante
Overture 'Portsmouth Point'

Tracks:

Coriolan Overture, Op.62 - New Philharmonia Orchestra
I. Ziemlich Langsam/Lebhaft/Attacca
II. Romanze. Ziemlich Langsam/Attacca
III. Scherzo. Lebhaft/Trio/Attacca
IV. Langsam/Lebhaft
Italian Serenade - Philharmonia Orchestra
I. Adagio Molto/Allegro Vivace
II. Andante
III. Menuetto. Allegro Vivace/Trio
IV. Allegro
The Tempest: Prelude

Customer Reviews:

Boult's little-known skill outside British music.......2005-11-06

Making a case for Adrian Boult as a great conductor isn't easy outside the special province of English composers like Vaughan Williams and Elgar. So it was brave of the compilers here to eliminate all things British except for Walton's short Portsmouth Point Over. Yet this piece undercuts their purpose since it is the most exciting and personal performance on either of the two CDs (it's only equalled by the Prelude to Sibelius's The Tempest that ends the second disc).

What we learn from a solid Franck D minor symphony and the Schubert Fourth Symphony is that Boult had a very agrreable musical personality, vigorous in temperament, not terribly exacting as to orchestral technique. Both performances are direct and enthusiastic, and the Franck benefits from almost no rubato--it avoids all the pitfalls of Franck's slithery chromatic style. I wouldn't say that Boult ranks with Barbirolli and Beecham in his generation; one doesn't feel that he is inspired, but he is much more than just a spirited stick-waver like Malcolm Sargent. He doesn't dig deep into the Coriolan Over., but his spirited, proficient reading is stirring.

The Berlioz Rob Roy Over. is in dull mono sound from 1956, as is the Schumann Fourth recorded at the same time, but both are steady, agreeable readings that exude a sense of cheerfulness which is pretty much present everywhere. All in all, I was happy to hear Boult outside his British fiefdom and would judge this one of the better installments of the Great Condcutors series.

eclectic boult.......2003-02-12

This 2-CD set represents Boult with material which has mostly long been deleted, but all of it is good and some exceptional. They've gone for atypical composers - though Boult conducted almost everyone you can think of in his long career. Only one English work is there - 'Portsmouth Point' - in a performance which knocks the socks off anything else I've heard. Absolutely magical are Wolf's'Italian Serenade' with the Philharmonia, which appeared briefly on a 7-inch disc long ago, 'Coriolan', which is just SO right and some Berlioz (with minor tuning problems at the outset but a very sure grasp of how this composer really 'works'. There's a Schumann 4 (weighty and authentic), Schubert 4 (too big a band but full of life), and the fine perfromance of Franck's Symphony that he made for RCA/Reader's Digest. There's more (Sibelius, Tchaikovsky), and all good. It's a pity Boult wasn't able to record more non-English repertoire towards the end of his life, but these performances help to make up for that. No need to hesitate ; it's good stuff.

Average customer rating:

Berceuse

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Russian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00002MXT2
Release Date: 2001-09-01

Tracks:

Adagio 'Pas D'Action' - Ondrej Lenard
Adagio - Jeno Jando
Largo - Gergely Sarkoezi
Andante Espressivo - Capella Istropolitana
Adagio - Takako Nishizaki
Prelude Op.28, No.2 In A Minor - Irina Zaritzkaya
Berceuse - Keith Clark
Overture - Capella Istropolitana
Grave - Kodaly Quartet
Andante - Jeno Jando
Grave - Capella Istropolitana
Sadko - Hindu Song - Takako Nishizaki
La Terrasse Des Audiences Du Clair De Lune - Ondrej Lenard

Great Pianists of the 20th Century: The Complete Edition

Average customer rating:

Wonderful set
Don't buy the whole thing
Not Insane
insane
For the real music lover

Great Pianists of the 20th Century: The Complete Edition
Great Pianists of the Twentieth Century
Manufacturer: Polygram Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Dances | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Gavottes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Mazurkas | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Pavanes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Polkas | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Polonaises | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Nonets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Ballads | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Etudes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Fantasies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Rondos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Toccatas | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Voluntaries | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Lullabies & Berceuse | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Airs | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Barcarolles | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Cantatas | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Caprices | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Classical | Box Sets | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00002EITP
Release Date: 1999-10-26

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful set.......2004-10-24

This set is for serious piano fans, not for the ones who just start building up a CD library. I sort of agree with one of the reviewers, that there are many repetitions. But if you love piano, you wish to hear the same piece in different interpretations. Indeed, I really like this feature of this set: I can compare the style of various performers.
If you are into piano music, I encourage you to grab this set, if you can find it used (not available anymore at Amazon). I also hope, that there will be a continuation, in which other great pianists, who were left out because of the space limitation, will be included (Prokofiev, Bartok, Dohnanyi, etc).

Don't buy the whole thing.......2001-07-08

I've put a lot of thought into constructing my own piano library, and unless you can easily afford the present set, I would recommend a different approach to collecting piano music. This set emphasizes the piano player rather than the piano composer. Of course both are important. For example, the "Barcarolle" appears in this set EIGHT times. I'm sorry, although I love the piece, if I am going to spend [the money], I would prefer more variety. Where are the Alkan, Medtner, and Szymanawski compositions represented in this set? I appreciate having so many interpretations of the same pieces, but I would also appreciate more exposure to pieces not so popular. The selection by Philips which I consider a somewhat popular selection suggests to me that when Philips constructed this set, they realized most people would be buying the disks separately, and this affected the selection. And it's not just that obscure composers are left out, but also if one spends so much money on piano recordings, you'd think you'd want to buy pieces from a composer in completeness. For example, an alternative way to construct a library would be to combine purchases of complete cycles, e.g. complete Beethoven sonatas, complete Scriabin preludes, etc., along with outstanding recordings of more particular pieces. I'm not sure why someone would want to concentrate so much on so many famous artists, instead of acquiring complete sets of compositions. For me the composer is more important, or at least, if I am going to spend [the money]on piano recordings, I'd prefer more complete, rather than snapshot, exposure to the composers.

Not Insane.......2001-01-02

I had to write this review, as I am enthralled with this set. I have been going through it in order having already purchased a few individual units from the collection earlier. I am not sure what `insane' was talking about as there is NO repetition. Sure some pianists perform the same pieces, isn't that what they did in reality? The idea is to appreciate the different nuances and approaches taken by these artists. You will then enjoy these pieces from a better vantage.

It is a large ambitious contribution to the art of great piano playing. It is a labor of love and represents a tremendous amount of research and cooperation between many record companies. Rather then representing insanity, it is a resource to treasure.

Yes experts can quibble over who was left out, and what performances were inserted. I do not think such a massive undertaking could have been accomplished without someone being able to find faults. Overall however, unless you already have a monumental collection, (it would have to be almost legendary), this incredible set will give you a rewarding look into 74 of the greatest pianist of all time. You will come away with a honed sense of appreciation for your likes and dislikes. You will undoubtedly become someone who will search out recordings and be able to enjoy them for the rest of your life with a refined ear.

The only negative is this price. I would shop around, as it is daunting to spend 2 thousand dollars on such a collection. Of course you do get 200 CD's. However, the used collections might be good to consider.

Enjoy these masterpieces. I am not ashamed of owning this music as `insane' implies. I am proud to have enriched my life.

insane.......2000-10-12

This is not a good library of piano music. The reason is, there is too much repetition. I'm not saying the series is bad. The series is wonderful. But this collection as a whole is a bad libary. For the same money you could collect together (with more effort) an incredible libary of piano music. There are so many wonderful cd's out there, this is just a waste of money. If you can actually afford to spend 2 grand on piano music, then either (1) spend the time and do some research to get a good library of piano music, which will probably include some selections from this collection, or (2) hire someone to do that for you. Personally I would be embarrassed to own this whole collection, since that shows I have put little thought into my purchases of piano music.

For the real music lover.......2000-03-12

This series attempts to present important and representative performances by most of the major pianists of the 20th century. One might quibble a bit with the choices, but the works presented are of consistently high quality, and often do represent what may be the best works of a performer. Since this covers most of the time that recorded music existed, some of the recordings are technically challenged, as there is only so much one can do to enhance an old recording. Still, these appear to have been treated with love and respect in their restorations. Since this series is so large (and expensive!) one is tempted to "cherry pick" through the series, yet by doing so one can easily overlook gems by artists one is less familiar with. This large a set must inevitably have many versions of the same pieces, and takes many hours to listen to. The true enthusiast will appreciate the differences in interpretation, whereas the less experienced listener may find the set repetitive and overwhelming. If one has the time to really dig into this set, it can provide years of exploration and discovery. It would make a wonderful gift for some special music lover in your life ... or for yourself!