In his second crack at Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5 Mikhail Pletnev still has not found his way through the work. The first two movements fail to grip the attention as Pletnev elicits playing of little color or expression from the Russian National Orchestra. The orchestral balance puts the strings at a disadvantage, making them sound small-bodied and weak. (The same goes for the horns, oddly enough.) This dilutes the big climaxes in both movements, short-circuiting the music’s drama. The usually delightful third movement lacks charm, but the Finale is the deal breaker. Pletnev’s method of creating excitement is to screw around with the tempo. In the audio clip listen to the lame allegro proper, then hear Pletnev crudely revving up the pace for the second subject. Not surprisingly he does the same thing in the recapitulation. Amateurish. Want a great Russian performance? Get Mravinsky—he generates lacerating tension without resorting to any of Pletnev’s monkey business. The same goes for Bernstein, Muti (Philharmonia), Gatti, and Szell, who offer far more involving renditions.
As for Francesca da Rimini, Pletnev corrects the mistake of his brass- and percussion-deficient Manfred recording (DG) by having said sections drown out everything else in the “inferno” passages. Yet even with this, his cultivated fury is less than enthralling. The Love interlude fares better, with the players exhibiting much tender feeling. But overall it’s a decent, not definitive Francesca. The flat-perspective, low-level recording requires a playback volume boost.
