This well-packed reissue showcases Mikhail Pletnev’s podium and keyboard prowess in works of Tchaikovsky, a composer for whom Pletnev has lavished much attention on disc. For all the careful preparation and light-footed, balletic aura characterizing this 1991 recording of the “Pathétique” Symphony (Pletnev’s conductoral debut on disc, by the way), I prefer the more fine-grained detailing of his 1996 Deutsche Grammophon remake. In both versions, the third movement seems way too fast for any real marching to transpire. But Pletnev’s Marche Slav is admirably paced and wears its tonal heft like a badge of honor.
What you really want this collection for, however, is Pletnev’s virile, intelligently shaped overview of The Seasons. The perverse voicings and overphrasing that has crept into many of Pletnev’s recent piano discs are nowhere to be found in these cogent, beautifully proportioned readings. The same can be said regarding the six pieces Op. 21 and Pletnev’s virtuosic transcription of highlights from The Sleeping Beauty. There’s no shortage of great, inexpensive “Pathétiques” on the market (Giulini/Philharmonia, Reiner/Chicago, Ormandy/Philadelphia, and Ashkenazy/Philharmonia), but Pletnev’s Seasons remains in a class by itself at any price.
