This release compiles selections from two earlier Chandos discs of rare and unknown Tchaikovsky performed by Geoffrey Simon and the London Symphony Orchestra. Both the Second Symphony and Romeo and Juliet were heavily revised after their respective first versions were published and performed. While it’s interesting to ponder Tchaikovsky’s first thoughts, there’s no validity to the booklet notes’ assertion that they are equal to, or perhaps even superior to, the revisions. The symphony’s original opening movement is an episodic, rambling affair more reminiscent of Kalinnikov than Tchaikovsky. While the scherzo offers some tantalizing syncopations in the trio, the finale is just plain overlong. Tchaikovsky’s initial take on Romeo and Juliet, with its prosaic opening theme and foursquare development (it even has one of those dreary Russian-style fugues), sorely misses the later strokes of genius that would make it one of music’s great masterpieces.
Geoffrey Simon conducts with admirable energy, conviction, and considerable Tchaikovskian flair as he endeavors to make a case for these early versions. The London Symphony matches his enthusiasm with its own, offering polished, tonally beautiful, and committed playing from all sections. The same goes for the remaining items–the melancholy Rubinstein Serenade and the feisty and dramatic Cossack Dance and Battle of Poltava from Mazeppa. Chandos’ early-1980s recordings have held up nicely with their wide dynamic range and trademark spacious acoustic.
