Tchaikovsky: Complete Orchestral Suites - Marriner, Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra (2012)

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Tchaikovsky: Complete Orchestral Suites - Marriner, Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra (2012)

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The complete 4 Orchestral Suites of Tchaikovsky on 2 CD’s. Tchaikovsky’s Suites are his most “western” works, his imagination and creativity set free from the restrictions of formal genres (symphonies, sonatas). They contain delightful music, with hints of ballet music and inspirations from other composers (the 4th suite Mozartiana is based on themes by Mozart). Performed with wit, charm, transparency and gusto by Sir Neville Marriner and the Stuttgart RSO. Born in the small town of Votkinsk in 1840, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky achieved considerable renown during his own lifetime and is today hailed as one of the world’s best-loved composers.

Having initially studied law before enrolling at the St Petersburg Conservatory aged 22, he is best remembered for his symphonies, operas and ballets; ranking among his lesser-known creations, however, are the Four Orchestral Suites, to which this excellent two-disc set is dedicated. The works are best viewed as an outlet for unrestricted musical fantasy, and indeed Tchaikovsky wrote to his patron Nadezhda von Meck that he valued the genre of the orchestral suite precisely because of the ‘freedom … it leaves the composer not to be bound by all sorts of traditions.’ Composed in 1878–9 and 1883 respectively, Nos. 1 and 2 descend from the Baroque model, with Tchaikovsky paying homage to Bach and Telemann through the use of such idiomatic devices as the fugue – as heard in the opening movement of the First Orchestral Suite. Whereas the Second is distinguished for its careful attention to texture (including the addition of four accordions), the Third (1884) is particularly lauded for its Theme and Variations finale – a movement that was often performed on its own, such was its universal popularity. Taking the form of a musical tribute to the composer Tchaikovsky most admired is the ‘Mozartiana’ Suite, written in 1887.

A work that faithfully adapts some of the Austrian’s best-known compositions, it presents a charming conclusion to an engaging cycle which – brimming with all the hallmarks of the Russian’s style – is performed with authority under the expert baton of Sir Neville Marriner. All in all, this compilation is a must-buy for anyone wishing to delve deeper into the rich world of 19th-century orchestral music.

Composer: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Conductor: Sir Neville Marriner
Orchestra/Ensemble: Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra

Reviews: Tchaikovsky's four suites for orchestra don't have the structural heft or the emotional impact of his seven symphonies, but they are lovely. For the listener who savors the Russian composer's specific sound world but is not in the mood for being emotionally overtaxed, these suites are just the thing. The first two are collections of character pieces, the First with its Divertimento and Intermezzo, the Second with its Valse and Danse baroque. The later two are more substantial, the Third with its extended series of Variations, and the Fourth with its heartfelt homages to Mozart. This is ideal light Tchaikovsky.

These 1987 Capriccio recordings from Neville Marriner and the Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart were fetching in their time, and are now even more so, reissued as a set. The English conductor, with his customary skill at drawing bright colors and sharp playing from chamber orchestras, elicits performances of luminous delicacy, tremendous virtuosity, and enormous affection from the Stuttgart players. Rhythms are lightly sprung, phrases are warmly sung, and the tone never descends into condescension or sentimentality.