Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Vasily Petrenko – Symphonies Nos. 3, 4 & 6 (2017) [Qobuz FLAC 24bit/96kHz]

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky – Symphonies Nos. 3, 4 & 6 – Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Vasily Petrenko (2017)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 02:09:40 minutes | 2,2 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download – Source: Qobuz | Booklet, Front Cover | © Onyx Classics
Recorded: Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, Symphony No.3 – 1 & 4 December 2015; Symphony No.4 – 4, 8 & 13 March 2015; Symphony No.6 – 9 & 10 June 2015

Petrenko’s Tchaikovsky promises to be one of the most important orchestral releases of 2017. Universal praise from reviewers for the first volume of Symphonies 1, 2 and 5 bodes well for this eagerly-awaited release: Gramophone gave Volume One an Editor’s choice and it reigned as a top 10 UK Classical chart title for 7 weeks in 2016.

The new CD, like the first, was recorded in Liverpool’s fine Philharmonic Hall, highlighting the lovely bloom around the orchestra and the wide range of dynamics the Phil’s music director, Vasily Petrenko demands. If anything, the new release is even better than the first. Only a minor criticism will stop this Onyx disc from taking a top spot in a very crowded field.
Whither the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic? Nowadays, it’s really easy to ‘fix it in the mix’, but the orchestra goes from strength to strength on successive recordings. The playing here is spectacular — strings in the opening movement of the 4th Symphony are courageous. They don’t quite match the classic Leningrad/DG/Mravinsky performance (no one does), but this is a movement where string sections can produce a collective fail. Brass and woodwinds shine, too. The notes of the 3rd and 6th Symphonies are not easy to play, but present far fewer problems than the fiendish 4th. It’s in the Scherzo where my one quibble show its reed. I’m not fan of the clarinet sound. Nit picked.
Petrenko shines a light on Tchaikovsky’s micro and macro dynamics, especially when subito [suddenly]. Very effective. He does this in all three symphonies. Also effective, the use of different bowing articulations — legato where I usually hear detached, and the opposite. These phrases did not sound mannered, just right. And very musical. They’re not marked by Tchaikovsky in the score.
The solo work on the CDs is exceptional. The piccolo riff in the 4th’s Scherzo is dispatched with a sparkle and slow movement’s oboe solo I’ve never heard bettered [I’m assuming it’s the orchestra’s long time principal, Jonathan Small — he’s also brilliant on the orchestra’s wonderful Shostakovich Symphony cycle]. Tchaikovsky’s unique string orchestration in the Lamentoso of the Pathetique makes for a super rich presentation and the brass in the symphony’s March is razor sharp in ensemble. The playing in the 3rd is equally fine.
Petrenko was also made Musical Director of the Oslo Philharmonic last year. A lateral move with Liverpool, standard wise. No major appointment yet. He has some weaknesses, never mind the raves in the Brit press. I’ve not been impressed with his mainstream repertoire, Beethoven chief among them. But in the Slavic repertoire, he has few peers in England. And other than my preference for clarinets without vibrato, these new CDs, especially if you need the coupling, will make an easy first choice. Highly recommended. -Anthony Kershaw, Audiophilia

Tracklist:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
Symphony No.4 in F minor op.36
1. Andante sostenuto 17.25
2. Andantino in modo di canzona 9.09
3. Scherzo: Pizzicato ostinato. Allegro 5.18
4. Finale. Allegro con fuoco 7.50
Symphony No.3 in D major ‘Polish’ op.29
5. I Moderato assai (Tempo di marcia funebre) 13.57
6. II Alla Tedesca (Allegro moderato e semplice) 6.11
7. III Andante elegiaco 10.00
8. IV Allegro vivo 6.01
9. V Finale: Allegro con fuoco (Tempo di Polacca) 7.54
Symphony No.6 in B minor ‘Pathétique’ op.74
10. Adagio 18.44
11. Allegro con grazia 6.47
12. Allegro molto vivace 8.41
13. Finale. Adagio lamentoso 11.38