Paavo Järvi and the Tonhalle-Orchester have put the finishing touches to their complete recording of Tchaikovsky’s symphonies. Assembled here are the six famous works, coupled...

Paavo Järvi and the Tonhalle-Orchester have put the finishing touches to their complete recording of Tchaikovsky’s symphonies. Assembled here are the six famous works, coupled with the Capriccio Italien, Romeo and Juliet, the Waltz and Polonaise from Eugene Onegin, the Festival Coronation March and Francesca da Rimini. Following international press acclaim for the first two volumes (Diapason d’Or, Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik etc.), we have decided to release the complete set at once to mark the reopening of the orchestra’s concert hall, the prestigious Tonhalle. Situated on the shores of Lake Zurich and inaugurated by Brahms in 1895, this hall, renowned worldwide for its acoustics, is now reborn after several years of renovation. In this exceptional setting, there is no doubt that Paavo Järvi and the Tonhalle-Orchester will write a new chapter in international musical life!

REVIEW:

Järvi is to be congratulated for producing a Fourth that stands out for its individuality, and this recording certainly warrants repeated listening. His account of the Second is packed with character, the Fifth a dry-eyed, disciplined account, with both works featuring superb solo horn-playing. Francesca da Rimini is not the fieriest Francesca out there, though the loudly rolling last chord deafens as it should. Järvi’s Pathétique features an explosive Allegro vivo in the first movement and a finale infused with maximum ardor. Only its Allegro con grazia disappoints. The First is pure magic, with cleanly differentiated violin desks darting to and fro from opposite ends of the sound stage. His reading of the Third Symphony  lacks magic, especially in the two scherzos. Of the other works programmed, Romeo and Juliet is exceptionally dramatic, Capriccio italien is very well played, the Waltz from Eugene Onegin is seductively delicate and the closing selections – Onegin’s Polonaise and the rumbustious Festival Coronation March – serve as rowdy encores.

All in all this is an extremely fine set, beautifully engineered and much to be recommended.

-- Gramophone