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Maxwell Davies: Symphony No. 6; Time And The Raven; Wedding With Sunrise / Royal Philharmonic

Naxos

$19.99 Nov 13, 2012

Sir Peter Maxwell Davies’s passionate Sixth Symphony is dedicated to the memory of the writer George Mackay Brown, with the ‘very special musical virtuosity’ of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in mind. It is one of his most beautifully expressive works and, whilst not untroubled, reaches moments of serene beauty. Composed for the 50th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations, Time and the Raven is a brilliant and exciting collage, whilst few contemporary works enjoy such popularity as the magical An Orkney Wedding with Sunrise.

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Maxwell Davies: Symphony No. 6; Time And The Raven; Wedding With Sunrise / Royal Philharmonic
Naxos Nov 2012
CD
$19.99

Symphony No. 2 in C minor, Op. 85 & Sir John Falstaff, Op. 6

CPO

$18.99 Jul 03, 2026

After Hugo Kaun ended his American adventure and returned to the Old World, he began to pour the exotic events of his life into two symphonic tone poems. These have been in our catalogue since late 2023 under the title I'm Urwald (In the Primeval Forest). He soon rose to become one of the most highly regarded German composers (thanks primarily to his noteworthy works for male choirs), and in 1905 turned his attention to programme music. Sir John Falstaff, the incomparable charmer from William Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor and the drinking companion of the future King Henry V, has been given a well-deserved place in the musical gallery of famous literary heroes alongside Till Eulenspiegel, MacBeth, Don Quixote, Don Juan, and Zarathustra, all to whom he certainly does justice from this, his first self-assured appearance. It also provides an excellent introduction to the powerful Second Symphony, which was completed five years later - further evidence of an orchestral maestro who had mastered the late Romantic repertoire with consummate skill.

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Symphony No. 2 in C minor, Op. 85 & Sir John Falstaff, Op. 6
CPO Jul 2026
CD
$18.99

Mix & Match

DVORAK: SYMPHONIES NOS 5 & 6

MELBOURNE SYMPHONY

SACD

$14.66 Nov 22, 2024

The first in a new cycle of Dvorak symphony recordings, Dvorak: Symphonies 5 & 6 is the second release from the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and it's Chief Conductor and Artistic Advisor, Jaime Martin, on the MSO's own record label. Recorded in 2023 at Hamer Hall, Arts Centre Melbourne, these performances-under Concertmasters Dale Barltrop (Symphony No.5) and Tair Khisambeev (Symphony No.6)-were artistic highlights of the MSO's second season under Martin's baton. The artwork approach to the MSO's Dvorak cycle profiles iconic scenes from across Melbourne and the state of Victoria, beginning with the Twelve Apostles of the Great Ocean Road, a day trip from Hamer Hall.

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DVORAK: SYMPHONIES NOS 5 & 6
MELBOURNE SYMPHONY Nov 2024
SACD
$14.66

Mahler: Symphony No. 6 / Kondrashin, SWR Orchestra Baden-Baden

SWR

$13.99 Apr 13, 2018

Kirill Kondrashin was one of the most prominent Russian conductors in the generation following Mravinsky. He was born in Moscow in 1914 into a family of musicians, studied at the Moscow conservatory under Boris Khaikin, went to Leningrad in 1936 to be the conductor of the Maly Theater and to the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow in 1943. At the same time, he was conducting various Russian concert orchestras. In 1956 he left the Bolshoi Theater to devote himself entirely to the concert podium. He became the preferred partner of such great soloists as Emil Gilels, Leonid Kogan, David Oistrach, Sviatoslav Richter, and Mstislav Rostropovich. Tully Potter called him “probably the best concert accompanist of the twentieth century.” After Kondrashin’s work had increasingly shifted out of the country, he emigrated to the Netherlands in 1978 and became permanent conductor of the Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra along with Bernard Haitink. From his home in Amsterdam, he kept up with his duties as guest conductor, including many at various West German radio stations. His concerts left a deep impression in Munich, and Kondrashin succeeded Rafael Kubelik as new Chief Conductor of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra in 1982. Before he was able to take over his new position, however, Kondrashin died of a heart attach shortly after a concert in Amsterdam in March 1981.

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Mahler: Symphony No. 6 / Kondrashin, SWR Orchestra Baden-Baden
SWR Apr 2018
CD
$13.99

Tchaikovsky: Orchestral Works, Symphonies 1-6 / Jarvi, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra

BIS

$59.99 Dec 01, 2010

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) Gothenburg Symphony OrchestraNeeme Jarvi, conductor Symphony no 1 in G minor "Winter Dreams", Op. 13; Romeo &Â?JulietSymphony no 2 in C minor "Little Russian", Op. 17; Overture in FSymphony no 3 in D major "Polish", Op. 29; The Snow Maiden, Op.12Symphony no 4 in F minor, Op. 36; Symphony no 5 in E minor, Op 64Symphony no 6 in B minor "Pathetique", Op. 74; The Tempest;Overture on the Danish National Anthem; Voyevoda Dances;Dmitri Pretender and Vassily Shuisky; Serenade for N.Rubinstein;Capriccio Italien; Francesca da Rimini; etc.

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Tchaikovsky: Orchestral Works, Symphonies 1-6 / Jarvi, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra
BIS Dec 2010
CD
$59.99

Gustav Mahler: Symphonie Nr. 6 - Mariss Jansons

BR Klassik

$19.99 Mar 06, 2026

Gustav Mahler's Sixth Symphony is perhaps the darkest work he ever wrote-it's nickname is "The Tragic." And there is something almost destructive about the final movement. "But strangely enough," says Simon Rattle, "it is also a very classical symphony. Yes, it is extreme, but for long stretches it is less wild than other works of his-although of course it does convey a harrowing message. But it's like a lot of great works: there are always different ways of reading them. I've been conducting the Sixth for forty years now, and over time I've come to realise that it also contains hope." Mahler composed his Sixth Symphony during the summers of 1903 and 1904 at his "composer's cottage" in Maiernigg, near Klagenfurt. At the Vienna performance in 1907 (the third under his baton), he called it the "Tragic Symphony"-a nickname that soon became the stuff of legend. In particular, the darkness and devastating hopelessness of the finale-written at a time when he was at the high point of his life, both professionally and personally-are puzzling. Even his wife Alma could not quite explain the contradiction. As always, it was in and through music that Mahler came to terms with his experiences, exploring themes such as farewell, the meaning of existence, death, redemption, the afterlife, and love. More than other Mahler works, the Sixth Symphony is committed to "classical" symphonic form: it is in four movements and has no vocal parts. Despite all the liberties it takes, the opening movement follows sonata form. The Andante draws on the rondo form, as do the Scherzo and the Finale. Very unusually, even the Scherzo has march-like features and seems like a parodistic paraphrase of the opening, with a change of perspective. The march, which sets the tone from the very first note of the first movement, plays a major role.

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Gustav Mahler: Symphonie Nr. 6 - Mariss Jansons
BR Klassik Mar 2026
CD
$19.99

Mix & Match

Mozart: Symphony No. 40 - Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6 / Nelsons, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig [Blu-ray]

Accentus Music

Blu-Ray

$40.99 ~~$53.99~~ Save 25% Mar 15, 2019

This Blu-ray Disc is only playable on Blu-ray Disc players and not compatible with standard DVD players.

Also available on standard DVD

The festive series of concerts to celebrate the inauguration of Andris Nelsons and the 275th anniversary of the Gewandhausorchester concluded with a riveting performance of two of music history’s great symphonic works. Mozart’s Symphony No. 40 is one of only two that Mozart wrote in a minor key, which only adds to its singular reception in his canon of symphonies. Tchaikovsky was an admirer of Mozart’s music and paired the premiere of his Sixth Symphony, which he himself conducted, with dances from Mozart’s “Idomeneo”. The “Pathétique” would become his legacy as Tchaikovsky died only a few days after its premiere. Andris Nelsons is Music Director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and is Gewandhauskapellmeister of the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig. With these positions, and in leading a pioneering alliance between two such esteemed institutions, Grammy Award-winning Nelsons is firmly underlined as one of the most renowned and innovative conductors on the international scene today.

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Mozart: Symphony No. 40 - Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6 / Nelsons, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig [Blu-ray]
Accentus Music Mar 2019
Blu-Ray
~~$53.99~~ $40.99

Sibelius, J.: Symphonies Nos. 4 and 6 / The Swan of Tuonela
Berlin Classics May 2003
CD
$16.99

Brotons: Symphony No. 6 'concise'; Rebroll; Obstanacy; Glosa De L'emigrant

Naxos

$9.99 ~~$19.99~~ Save 50% Feb 10, 2015

The acclaimed conductor and composer Salvador Brotons is renowned for his music for symphonic band. It was Rebroll (Rebirth), a symphonic poem in one movement inspired by contemporary events, which first earned him international recognition, and is performed worldwide. Symphony No. 6 'Concise' charts a dramatic course between rhythmic dynamism, ceremonial grandeur and lyrical intimacy. Glosa de l'Emigrant is a nostalgic song cast as a sardana, the national dance of Catalonia, and features the beautiful sound of the tenora, a Catalan folk instrument. Brotons' Symphony No. 5 and his Oboe Concerto can be heard on 8.573163.

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Brotons: Symphony No. 6 'concise'; Rebroll; Obstanacy; Glosa De L'emigrant
Naxos Feb 2015
CD
~~$19.99~~ $9.99

Brian: Symphonies No 6, 28, 29 & 31 / Walker

Naxos

$9.99 ~~$19.99~~ Save 50% Apr 14, 2015

Brian’s Sixth Symphony, subtitled “Sinfonia Tragica,” makes an ideal introduction to his music. It’s full of evocative sounds and unusually (for him) arresting thematic ideas, and its single movement takes less than twenty minutes. The last few minutes are a Mahlerian phantasmagoria of march and dance tunes not unlike the wild outburst in the development section of the first movement of the German composer’s Third Symphony, but the final bars are hauntingly elegiac. Very well recorded once before for Lyrita, this newcomer is also quite well done, and has enough differences in tone and texture to justify duplication.

Symphonies Nos. 28 and 29 both date from 1967, and both have four movements that play without pause, more or less. No. 28 is only fourteen minutes long in total. Late Brian is an acquired taste, largely because of the music’s relentlessly contrapuntal textures, heavy orchestration with lots of low brass and percussion, and lack of simple repetition to permit listeners to get their bearings. Indeed, these pieces, and the brief, single-movement No. 31 for that matter, sound as though Brian simply chopped off hunks of music from some larger overall blob of material. And yet, the opening of No. 28 has an innocent simplicity of tone and texture that the composer never lost, and all of this music sounds like no one else. That is why it retains its peculiar fascination. It may not be “easy” or “friendly,” but it is distinctive, and the work of a strong musical personality with a definite message.

As with No. 6, the performances under Alexander Walker sound remarkably assured given the unfamiliarity of the material, and they are very well recorded. The Havergal Brian Society and Mr. Godfrey Berry underwrote this production, and they definitely got their money’s worth.

– David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com

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Brian: Symphonies No 6, 28, 29 & 31 / Walker
Naxos Apr 2015
CD
~~$19.99~~ $9.99

Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 6 & 8 (Live)

Wiener Symphoniker

$20.99 Mar 29, 2019

This release is the continuation of the Wiener Symphoniker's Road to Beethoven project, an undertaking in preparation of the 250th anniversary of the birth of the Viennese by choice and patriarch of classical music in 2020. Following the huge success of the respective releases of the cycle so far, the expectations are high indeed. The third part featuring Symphonies No. 2 and 7 received numerous accolades and ranked high in the annual best lists of international critics. The German classical music magazine Concerti, for instance, praised: "There, Philippe Jordan with the Wiener Symphoniker succeeded in creating something amazing: The symbiosis of the fine Viennese sound and the directness and transparency of historical performance practice, dynamically flexible and driven by emphasis." The Wiener Symphoniker wrote music history with the premieres of works by Bruckner, Ravel and Schönberg. Under the direction of such illustrious conductors as Wilhelm Furtwängler, Herbert von Karajan, Carlo Maria Giulini or Georges Prêtre, it gained worldwide fame for it's Viennese sound style. In light of this more than hundred-year magnificent history, it is all the more astonishing that the Orchestra has never so far recorded Beethoven's nine symphonies, which are often described as the peak of the symphonic repertoire. This gap in the Orchestra's discography has been in the process of being closed since autumn 2017: The Orchestra is releasing all nine symphonies of the great Viennese by choice at half-yearly intervals on a total of five albums. The whole cycle will then be available on the 250th anniversary of Beethoven's birth in 2020. They were recorded live under the direction of Music Director Philippe Jordan in the Golden Hall of the Musikverein during an acclaimed cycle in spring/summer 2017.

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Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 6 & 8 (Live)
Wiener Symphoniker Mar 2019
CD
$20.99

Tchaikovsky: Symphonies Nos. 1-6; Manfred Symphony; Orchestral Works

Relief

$42.99 Sep 30, 2014

This six-disc set of Tchaikovsky concert performances, recorded 1984-2009, features more than a dozen orchestral works, including the composer’s last three symphonies, the Manfred, The Tempest and other symphonic poems. Three of the recordings are first-time releases. The Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra, founded 1930, is internationally recognized as one of Russia's most prestigious and versatile orchestras. Vladimir Fedoseyev has, since 1974, held the position of Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the orchestra, now known as the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra.

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Tchaikovsky: Symphonies Nos. 1-6; Manfred Symphony; Orchestral Works
Relief Sep 2014
CD
$42.99

Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 5, 6, 7, 9 & Triple Concerto / Blomstedt, Gewandhausorchester [Blu-ray]

Accentus Music

Blu-Ray

$85.99 Sep 20, 2019

This Blu-ray Disc is only playable on Blu-ray Disc players and not compatible with standard DVD players.

Also available on standard DVD

More than 200 years after its premiere at the Gewandhaus in Leipzig, Isabelle Faust, Jean-Guihen Queyras and Martin Helmchen have congenially mastered the artistic challenge of Beethoven’s gemstone. Under Herbert Blomstedt's sensitive direction, the soloists unite chamber musical intimacy together with virtuoso sophistication – and prove once again that the Triple Concerto is an unduly underestimated, much too rarely programmed masterpiece. With the composer's 5th Symphony, Blomstedt succeeds in achieving an entirely new perspective of this work. In his Sixth Symphony, the “Pastoral”, Ludwig van Beethoven conveys his musical message in such a way that lets the listener literally “see” images of beautiful nature, tempestuous storms, and shepherds singing in the fields, whereas in his Seventh Symphony, Beethoven lets the music speak for itself. The performances of these works by the Gewandhausorchester give the uplifting feeling that the intentions of both composer and performers are united in serving the musical message. The humanist and musician Herbert Blomstedt embodies this truth in a unique way, creating an atmosphere where the wonders of music all become true. Ludwig van Beethoven's 9th Symphony and the musical city of Leipzig are closely intertwined with each other: Felix Mendelssohn, Kapellmeister of the Gewandhausorchester, made the work an indispensable part of the concert hall repertoire and Arthur Nikisch, one of his successors, established in 1918 the worldwide tradition of performing this groundbreaking and pioneering work at the end of the year. Herbert Blomstedt once again conducted Beethoven's Ninth in Leipzig for the 2016 New Year celebrations. With his former orchestra, of which he has been Conductor Laureate since 2005 and with whom he enjoys a close friendship, he achieves a gripping interpretation of this monumental work.

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Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 5, 6, 7, 9 & Triple Concerto / Blomstedt, Gewandhausorchester [Blu-ray]
Accentus Music Sep 2019
Blu-Ray
$85.99

Sibelius: Symphonies No 2 & 6 / Maazel, Pittsburgh So
Sony Masterworks Nov 2009
CD
$17.99

SCHUBERT: SYMPHONIES 5-6 8-9

WARNER CLASSICS

SACD

$23.99 Jul 31, 2026

Third release in the series of Herbert von Karajan Hybrid SACD releases with a new HD 192/24 remastering from the original tapes. The cycle of Franz Schubert's symphonies recorded by Herbert von Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic in the late 1970s remains an essential staple of the catalogue. The recordings capture the Berlin "signature sound" of that era: a silky legato and incomparable orchestral fluidity, impressive power in the brass and percussion, and a spacious recording quality achieved within the generous acoustics of the Berlin Philharmonie. It is in the final two symphonies that Karajan's conducting fully flourishes. In the "Unfinished" Symphony, he excels at establishing a mysterious and tragic atmosphere. The "Great" Symphony is undoubtedly the jewel of the cycle, where Karajan maintains a constant rhythmic pulse without ever sacrificing the plastic beauty of the sound, with the finale being a true demonstration of controlled power.

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SCHUBERT: SYMPHONIES 5-6 8-9
WARNER CLASSICS Jul 2026
SACD
$23.99

Mix & Match

Marlboro Fest 40th Anniversary - Beethoven: Symphonies No 1, 6
Sony Masterworks Nov 2008
CD
$17.99

Rubbra: Symphonies 2 & 6 / Hickox, Bbc No Of Wales
Chandos Aug 1996
CD
$21.99

Sale

Vaughan Williams: Dona Nobis Pacem, Symphony 6 / Abravanel
OMEGA VANGUARD Jul 2018
CD
~~$10.01~~ $10.00

Keninš: Symphonies Nos. 4 & 6 - Canzona Sonata / Vižine. Kuzma, Latvian National Symphony

Ondine

$18.99 May 07, 2021

The first album of orchestral works by one of Latvia’s most prominent composers, Talivaldis Keninš (1919–2008), released in October 2020 has received a warm response from music critics around the world. This second volume by the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra under conductor Guntis Kuzma includes two symphonies from the 1970s alongside another concertante gem, Canzona Sonata for viola and string orchestra.

Although born in Latvia, Ķeniņš lived most of his life as an exile. He was educated in Paris, where he studied under Tony Aubin and Olivier Messiaen, and won several awards. Ķeniņš emigrated to Canada in 1951 and became a respected pedagogue and a very influential figure in Canada’s music life. Alongside his pedagogic work he wrote a sizeable catalogue of works, including several symphonies and concertos. At first Ķeniņš focused on writing works of chamber music and completed his first symphony relatively late, in 1959. During the 1970s and 80s, Ķeniņš wrote several symphonies more becoming a major symphonist. The two symphonies included in this volume are compact orchestral scores from the 1970s. Symphony No. 4 is rich with its fine French orchestral textures, while Symphony No. 6 is an impressive symphonic work based on a fugue theme. The expressive Canzona Sonata for viola and string orchestra written in 1986 is a relatively late work and a wonderful example of the composer’s skills in writing concertante music.

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Keninš: Symphonies Nos. 4 & 6 - Canzona Sonata / Vižine. Kuzma, Latvian National Symphony
Ondine May 2021
CD
$18.99

Stamitz: Symphonies, Op. 3, Nos. 1 & 3-6

Naxos

$19.99 Jul 12, 2019

Blessed with a gift for musical invention and structural organization, Johann Stamitz was one of the pioneering figures in symphonic music before the emergence of Haydn. He drove the development of symphonic form via the assimilation of the new operatic overture style resulting in works of brilliance and skillful orchestration. His Op. 3 symphonies, though not composed as a set, showcase why Stamitz was held in such high regard and was so influential: outer movements fizz with energy, and contain virtuosic string writing with frequent dynamic contrasts, while slow movements are intricate and refined.

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Stamitz: Symphonies, Op. 3, Nos. 1 & 3-6
Naxos Jul 2019
CD
$19.99

Bruckner: Symphonies Nos. 3, 4, 6, 7 & 9 / Norrington, WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln

SWR

$37.99 Aug 13, 2021

Sir Roger Norrington has been chief conductor of the former Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra RSO (today SWR Symphonieorchester) for thirteen years. During this time he caused internationally quite a stir with what got to be called "The Stuttgart Sound", a synthesis between historically informed performance and technical capabilities of a modern orchestra. Whether Mozart or Haydn, Bruckner or Brahms, Norrington's main focus laid on quick tempi, a "pure ton" (that is, vibratoless), articulation, seating plan and orchestra size as experienced by the composers themselves back in their time. With the present re-issue of his Bruckner SWR-recordings, Norrington sought to render the "human face" of Bruckner, not just the quasi-religious abstraction the public is sometimes given instead. His symphonies are secular works written with the Musikverein Vienna in mind. They contain descriptive music (journeys, nature, birds), dance music and humor, unexpected dramatic passages, and pauses. In his entirely individual style (culled from Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn and Wagner, but rarely sounding like any of them), Bruckner echoes memories of his own violin playing as a youth at village weddings, quite as much as those of the St. Florian organ loft.

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Bruckner: Symphonies Nos. 3, 4, 6, 7 & 9 / Norrington, WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln
SWR Aug 2021
CD
$37.99

Bruckner: Symphonies Nos. 3-4, 6-9 / Jansons, BRSO

BR Klassik

$59.99 Oct 02, 2020

Anton Bruckner's symphonies were a constant part of the repertoire for Mariss Jansons and the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks. The existing recordings - almost all the great Bruckner symphonies – are important documents of Jansons’ deep understanding of the works, and the high musical quality of the recordings also testifies to the long Bruckner tradition at the BRSO. Jansons followed Bruckner’s notes and markings with painstaking precision, and listening to a recording with the score reveals again and again how closely the conductor studied these works with the musicians of his orchestra. Bruckner's symphonies form the backbone of Late Romantic symphonic music. To a certain extent, Bruckner reinvented the symphony – something that not even Liszt or Wagner had dared to do in the wake of the groundbreaking masterpieces of Beethoven, which until then had been considered the culmination and conclusion of the genre. It was Bruckner and, somewhat later, Brahms who sought and found new methods of reviving the symphonic genre and developing it further. In this regard, Bruckner's approach was entirely new. From the outset, he relied on the sound of the large orchestra and, rather than mixing the individual groups of instruments, he tended to either separate them from each other or couple them together like organ registers (with which, as an organist, he was very familiar). Terraced dynamics, that is, the immediate juxtaposition of piano and forte without transition, was also something Bruckner derived from organ music. As a church musician, he had close contact with these and other elements of Baroque music, and they flowed into his symphonies. As far as dramaturgical development was concerned, he tended to favor Schubert; indeed, it was the organic continuation and alternating interconnection of themes Bruckner had learned from Schubert that also explains the unprecedented performance length of his symphonies.

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Bruckner: Symphonies Nos. 3-4, 6-9 / Jansons, BRSO
BR Klassik Oct 2020
CD
$59.99

Tchaikovsky: Symphonies Nos. 4, 5 & 6 / Nelsons, Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra

Accentus Music

DVD

$63.99 Dec 11, 2020

Also available on Blu-ray

Recorded live at the Gwandhaus in 2018, this excellent program from the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig and their conductor Andris Nelsons features Tchaikovsky’s Symphonies Nos. 4, 5, and 6, as well as works by Mozart, Mussorgsky, Shostakovich, and Weinberg, making for a thrilling and well-rounded programme. Andris Nelsons is Music Director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Gewandhauskapellmeister of the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig. These two positions, in addition to his leadership of a pioneering alliance between both institutions, have firmly established Grammy Award-winning Nelsons as one of the most renowned and innovative conductors on the international scene today. “Andris Nelsons conducted with concise focus and vigor and elicited the orchestra both tonal beauty and technical precision and visible enthusiasm.” (THE BOSTON GLOBE)

REVIEW:

Tchaikovsky’s “Pathétique” shows a dynamic use of tempo: In general, the fast music is very fast, the slow music quite slow, and Nelsons speeds up and slows down as the mood of the music changes. The first movement has lovely woodwind solos, particularly the important ones for clarinet. There is fine attention to dynamics, particularly in the second and fourth movements. The ending disappears into silence, and the hall remains silent for what seems like an impossible length of time before finally erupting into applause.

Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony is a fairly standard reading, although there is lots of rubato and expressive use of tempo modifications. The first movement is exciting; the second-movement horn solo is excellent.

This all-Russian concert concludes with Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony. Nelsons’s approach is similar to the way he conducts the Fifth: standard tempos which are modified according to the nature of the passage; rhythmic precision, notably in the difficult development section of the first movement; and, no funny business like a huge ritardando or unwritten pause in the coda. The second movement is effective at a rather slow tempo, with excellent dynamics. The Scherzo is fast and virtuosic, the Finale energetic.

– Fanfare

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Tchaikovsky: Symphonies Nos. 4, 5 & 6 / Nelsons, Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra
Accentus Music Dec 2020
DVD
$63.99

Tchaikovsky: Symphonies 4, 5, 6 / Rafael Kubelik, Vienna Philharmonic

Urania Records

$32.99 Jan 15, 2021

Tchaikovsky's Symphonies are strangely not included in Kubelik's discography. This Album proposes a rare live recording with the same quality as that of a studio. Kubelík was the sixth of the eight sons of the distinguished Czech violinist Jan Kubelík and the Hungarian-born Countess Marianne Csaky-Szell. Between 1921 and 1929 he studied the orchestral repertoire daily by playing four-hand piano arrangements with his uncle František Kubelík, prompting this comment from his father in 1926: ‘He could realise great things. He is eleven, plays splendidly violin, piano, sight-reading scores and has a good knowledge of the orchestra. Some time ago he had a look to one of my orchestral works and asked me to add a horn to a particular part: he was right!’ He entered the Prague Conservatory in 1929 where for the next four years he studied piano, violin and composition. The present release showcases Kubelik with the Weiner Philharmonic, as they perform Tchaikovsky’s Symphonies Nos. 4, 5, and 6, as well as Romeo and Juliet. The original recordings were made in 1960 and 1955.

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Tchaikovsky: Symphonies 4, 5, 6 / Rafael Kubelik, Vienna Philharmonic
Urania Records Jan 2021
CD
$32.99

Sallinen: Sunrise Serenade / Symphony No. 2 / Symphony No. 6
BIS Jun 1992
CD
$21.99