| April 2006Gatti’s Pathétique,
which rounds out his coverage of Tchaikovsky’s Big Three symphonies, is the most
persuasive performance so far in the series (which is eventually to encompass the entire
cycle) and should appeal strongly to collectors who like to have more than a single
version of basic repertory works. There’s no wallowing here, and no icy aloofness,
either: Gatti is simply determined to let the music speak for itself, and it does,
grippingly. Both of the inner movements are unusually fleet, the famous march-scherzo
nearly as swift as in Karajan’s provocative 1948-49 recording with the Vienna
Philharmonic, and the inner voices register tellingly without being artificially
spotlighted. The final Adagio is taken broadly, but with momentum beautifully
sustained. Throughout the performance, the Royal Philharmonic recalls its glory days under
its founder Sir Thomas Beecham.
The marvelous Serenade for Strings is quite a bonus
here, brought off on the same level of directness, unselfconscious elegance and unfeigned
warmth of heart. The sound quality is well tailored to these performances, and an SACD
edition will appear soon. Even the annotation calls for special mention: George Gelles,
who has been providing notes for this series, has again given a stunning demonstration of
what can be achieved, and Harmonia Mundi has given him enough space for his thoughtful and
stimulating commentary. The tradeoff, as before, is that the "filler" piece gets
barely a mention, but the Serenade hardly requires explication, and what Gelles has to say
about the thrice-familiar Symphony is itself refreshing.
Way to go, HM!
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Tchaikovsky - Symphony No. 6,
"Pathétique"
