Mozart was Tchaikovsky’s hero, so it is no surprise that some of the Russian master’s compositions reflect ideas of the Classical period. The Serenade for String Orchestra is one such, patterned after the classical suite. Its lines and structure might be clean as a whistle, but its soul is Russian and Romantic to the core. I think it is best performed by the string section of a big orchestra, which can give real heft to the solemn opening and closing passages with their choral makeup. But since the work is only for strings, it is most often heard these days in chamber orchestra renditions. Among those this one is quite good. Surely the Moscow players have no problem with the notes, and their tone on this recording falls easily on the ear. I miss a certain sense of drama that other conductors bring to the work, most notably Solti in his early stereo recording with the Israel Philharmonic, which as far as I know has never been reissued on CD. Winds and percussion are added to the strings for Alexander Gauk’s colorful, idiomatic orchestration of The Seasons, and this might be reason enough for many to purchase this CD, since there aren’t too many competing performances available. Once again, conductor Orbelian is long on charm and nuance but a little short on urgency and drama. The recorded sound is excellent when strings alone are playing, but once the other instruments are added there seems to be a bit too much reverberation, muddying the texture. Percussion instruments, though correctly positioned at the back of the sound stage, do not have a lot of presence.
