Question by dipaolo: What are the best versions of Tchaikovsky’s music out there today?
I love Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto in D (major, or minor? I can’t recall), the best version I’ve found so far is played by Isak Perlman. Is there something else by Tchaikovsky that I would love as well? Are there soloists or orchestras out there that I need to hear? What in your estimation are the best recordings of his music available today?
Answers and Views:
Answer by since Xiong
Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker music is my favorite. It is wonderful listening to the CD I have of all the different songs he composed for the Nutcracker. It’s so weird to hear songs I know I’ve heard other places, and not realized they were in the Nutcracker. I suggest you pick up a CD 🙂
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Linnaea says
Outside of the well-known ballets:
For me, Tchaikovsky starts with his symphonies. It seems to me Symphony No.6 in B minor is the one talked about the most and after that Symphony No.5 in E minor. There is talk about Symphonies 2 & 4 as they are very exciting, but really, one gets burned out on these two very quickly. You MUST really check out Symphony No.1 in G minor, the Manfred Symphony, and Symphony No.3 in D (his only symphony in major). Symphony No.1 is my favourite of all, but the other 2 are must hear works!
Recommendations:
Symphony No.1: Antoni Wit (Naxos) is a great place to start because it is inexpensive and I love the reverberant acoustics. This piece really captures the essence of winter. The Naxos white box is a good value to get all the symphonies (excluding the manfred).
Symphony No.2: Antoni Wit is great for 2 and 3 as well.
Symphony No.3:
Symphony No.4: Herbert Von Karajan for Nos.4 – 6
Symphony No.5: Antoni Wit has a good version of this symphony as well.
Symphony No.6:
Manfred Symphony: No other recording is necessary if you have Mikhail Pletnev (DG label).
A more complete set would be Chandos’ recording with Mariss Janson.
After that, I’d like to invite you to hear the Piano Trio in A minor, Op.50. Now, unfortunately, the best performance I have ever heard is not available anymore (which included 3 wonderful soloist winners from a 1970's Tchaikovsky Competition), but the Maisky, Argerich & Kremer is a great alternative. This work is coupled with the Shostakovich Trio No.2.
I really like his tone poems as well. Luckily, if you buy the Naxos White Box, you get most of those works with it. Hamlet, Romeo & Juliet, The Tempest, The Storm, etc.
Also on Naxos, there is a recording of solo piano works. They are all good works, but the Nocturne in C# minor and the Cradle Song are MUST hear pieces. They are absolutely beautiful works.
The String Quartets should not be over-looked either. There are some beautiful and most memorable moments here in these 3 works. My top choice is the Borodin Quartet on the Chandos label. Remastered and the sound is great. Not as amazing of quality as the remaster of the their Shostakovich quartet cycle on the same label, but definitely worth the money!!! It also has the Souvenir de Florence, Op.70 in its Sextet form with cellist Rostropovich. It’s less sugar-coated than the String Orchestra version, in my view.
If you like Opera, then you might like to Listen to Queen of Spades or even his well-known Eugene Onegin. th Tchaikovsky. If you need more, drop me a line!
tattoo says
… whose name you recognize is going to be very enjoyable, and probably any performance at all that's on a CD in national distribution will be one you'll love.