Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra, Evgeny Mravinsky – Tchaikovsky: Symphonies Nos. 4, 5 & 6 (1961/2015) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra, Evgeny Mravinsky – Tchaikovsky: Symphonies Nos. 4, 5 & 6 (1961/2015)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 02:09:14 minutes | 2,54 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Deutsche Grammophon (DG)

At the height of the Cold War, the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra under its legendary principal conductor Evgeny Mravinsky visited Britain in September 1960, giving sensational concerts in Edinburgh and London which drew ecstatic responses from both press and public.

Since this virtuoso orchestra was then poorly represented in Western record catalogues, Deutsche Grammophon’s engineers astutely seized the opportunity to capture their playing in far superior sound to anything that could be produced by their Soviet counterparts. Among the most notable sessions taped in Wembley Town Hall was Mravinsky’s blazingly urgent account of Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony.
Ever the perfectionist, the conductor was so pleased with the quality of this recording that two months later he and the orchestra agreed to record the last two symphonies for DG, this time in Vienna’s Musikverein. Initially released on three separate stereo LPs, these Tchaikovsky performances convey a highly-strung raw energy that remains undimmed up to the present day. The Finale of No. 5, delivered at a manically swift pace, is one of high points, guaranteed to take your breath away.

These performances absolutely compel attention: in terms of sheer drama, poetry, flexibility and electricity they are pretty much in a class of their own. As David Gutman says in his notes, this is Tchaikovsky ‘with an expressive force that has never been surpassed’. Very good transfers too. –Nigel Simeone, International Record Review

An exciting orchestra showpiece packed with memorable ideas, Tchaikovsky’s Fifth is a perennial favourite . . . it was Evgeny Mravinsky and the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra, recorded by DG on tour in London in 1960, who hit the bull’s-eye. They combined an unusually sharp profiling of dynamics and articulation with a unity of dramatic purpose . . . the sheer momentum of the Finale, taken 30 per cent faster than the metronome mark in the score, has never been matched, and it makes that movement — and as a result the entire work — convincing in a way that defies criticism . . . Here is a Tchaikovsky Fifth whose message seems to have been a matter of life and death for conductor and orchestra to communicate. –David Fanning, BBC Music Magazine

Well over 50 years after its first release, Evgeny Mravinsky and the Leningrad Philharmonic’s searing stereo version [of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony no. 6] remains peerless in so many ways. Fate is here the implacable authority, enemy to more tender emotions whose expression is both heartfelt yet always fearful of discovery . . . irrepressible passion . . . The musicians’ engagement with the drama is total. –BBC Music Magazine

Tracklist:
01. Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra, Evgeny Mravinsky – Symphony No.4 In F Minor, Op.36: 1. Andante sostenuto – Moderato con anima – Moderato assai, quasi Andante – Allegro vivo (18:47)
02. Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra, Evgeny Mravinsky – Symphony No.4 In F Minor, Op.36: 2. Andantino in modo di canzone (09:17)
03. Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra, Evgeny Mravinsky – Symphony No.4 In F Minor, Op.36: 3. Scherzo. Pizzicato ostinato – Allegro (05:49)
04. Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra, Evgeny Mravinsky – Symphony No.4 In F Minor, Op.36: 4. Finale (Allegro con fuoco) (08:06)
05. Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra, Evgeny Mravinsky – Symphony No.5 in E minor, Op.64: 1. Andante – Allegro con anima (14:35)
06. Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra, Evgeny Mravinsky – Symphony No.5 in E minor, Op.64: 2. Andante cantabile, con alcuna licenza – Moderato con anima (11:57)
07. Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra, Evgeny Mravinsky – Symphony No.5 in E minor, Op.64: 3. Valse (Allegro moderato) (05:28)
08. Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra, Evgeny Mravinsky – Symphony No.5 in E minor, Op.64: 4. Finale (Andante maestoso – Allegro vivace) (11:12)
09. Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra, Evgeny Mravinsky – Symphony No.6 in B minor, Op.74 -‘Pathétique’: 1. Adagio – Allegro non troppo (17:40)
10. Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra, Evgeny Mravinsky – Symphony No.6 in B minor, Op.74 -‘Pathétique’: 2. Allegro con grazia (08:06)
11. Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra, Evgeny Mravinsky – Symphony No.6 in B minor, Op.74 -‘Pathétique’: 3. Allegro molto vivace (08:22)
12. Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra, Evgeny Mravinsky – Symphony No.6 in B minor, Op.74 -‘Pathétique’: 4. Finale (Adagio lamentoso – Andante) (09:49)

Personnel:
Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra
Evgeny Mravinsky, conductor

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