The Philadelphia Orchestra series of live recorded SACDs continues with this first rate Tchaikovsky program performed at Philadelphia’s Verizon Hall just last year. (Wonder how the folks at Sony Classical feel about having abandoned the orchestra after so many decades and having a label from Finland come in and do a better job with them in both sonics and packaging.) Polyhymnia International handled the recording and it’s of demo quality.
This is not as emotional an interpretation as, say, Bernstein, but it stands up well against the many other SACD versions in the catalog. Of course the famous strings of the Philadelphia Orchestra receive their full due in both the original scoring and in the hi-res surround mix. Since the string section is so important in Tchaikovsky, this constitutes a perfect match. The inclusion of only half of the composer’s piano pieces on the 12 seasons may seem a bit odd, but on Eschenbach’s earlier recording of the Tchaikovsky Fifth he played the first six months’ worth of The Seasons. He was a concert pianist before he specialized in conducting, so the unusual filler becomes more understandable.
– John Sunier
