This release had me worried. Michael Tilson Thomas, like so many of today’s most talented conductors, sometimes takes advantage of the excellence of his orchestra in late romantic music to turn in performances full of “expressive” mannerism and self-indulgence. He did it in his Mahler cycle at times, and Tchaikovsky seems guaranteed to bring out the worst in today’s micro-managers. Happily, the result turns out to be just the opposite of what I feared, and excellent in every respect. It’s worth remembering that Thomas has always been a fine Tchaikovsky conductor, with memorable recordings of the First Symphony, Manfred, the orchestral suites, and The Nutcracker already under his belt.
Granted, he shapes the motto theme at the start of the Fifth with very obvious affection, stretching the rhythms now and again, but it’s done sensitively, and from there on it’s smooth sailing. Indeed, the performance that this one most resembles–and this may shock you–is Klemperer’s: sober, serious, measured but still flowing, with plenty of woodwind detail and a beautiful horn solo in the Andante. The finale may be slower than expected, but it’s still very rhythmically trenchant, with no apologies for its non-developing development section or triumphant coda, and consequently no hint of vulgarity. It really is an impressive vision of the work, one that offers dignity with no lack of excitement, particularly when the playing is so poised and the ensemble so cohesive.
“Cohesive” is the word that also comes to mind in considering this version of Romeo and Juliet. Thomas takes the introduction relatively quickly, which has the double advantage of preventing early-onset tedium as well as permitting the battle music to emerge seamlessly in transition. The playing here is not crushing in its power: pointed and precise, rather, with the love music also naturally in place and not too stickily presented. This permits Thomas to build the climaxes with increasing violence until the very end, while the coda also never drags. It’s all very refreshing, very well recorded, and if you are looking for these works in first rate SACD sound this is without question the recording to get. MTT still has the goods, no doubt about it.
