Kurt Masur

Tchaikovsky: Symphonies; Piano Concertos; Famous Waltzes

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AllMusic Review by James Leonard

In its way -- its very, very Teutonic way -- this is a great set of Tchaikovsky's symphonies and piano concertos. Not only does it contain all six numbered symphonies plus the Manfred Symphony and all three numbered concertos plus the Concert Fantasia, but it also contains several of the composer's best-known symphonic fantasies -- Romeo and Juliet plus Francesca da Rimini -- and a whole disc of his best-known waltzes culled from ballets and other sources. Beyond the repertoire, it features expert orchestral playing from either the Gewandhausorchester -- big, warm, and full -- and the New York Philharmonic -- big, cool, and clear -- and a brilliant soloist in pianist Elisabeth Leonskaja. And on top of that, it features the skillful and dedicated conducting of Kurt Masur, who comprehends and appreciates the less-known works like the Third Symphony, as well as the best-known works like the Fifth Symphony. Of course, the whole production is very, very Teutonic: the sound of the orchestras is heavier, the articulation of the playing is weightier, the phrasing is smoother, the textures are ampler, the colors are blended, and the rhythms are more on the downbeat. For some listeners, this may be the wrong approach to take to the Russian, all too Russian, Tchaikovsky, and for them, there are plenty of Russian recordings to choose from. But for listeners who already know Tchaikovsky as a Russian and long to hear Tchaikovsky as a German, Masur's approach, full of rugged integrity and gritty strength as it is, may be preferable to Herbert von Karajan's approach, full of smooth polish and refined sonorities as it is. Warner Classics' digital sound is large scale in scope but small scale in details.

Track Listing - Disc 1

Sample		Title/Composer	Performer	Time	Stream
Symphony No. 1 in G minor ("Winter Dreams"), Op. 13
	1	1. Allegro tranquillo (Dreams of a winter journey) Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky	Kurt Masur	11:54	Amazon
	2	2. Adagio cantabile ma non tanto (Land of desolation, land of mists) Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky	Kurt Masur	11:58	Amazon
	3	3. Scherzo: Allegro scherzando giocoso Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky	Kurt Masur	08:13	Amazon
	4	4. Finale: Andante lugubre - Allegro moderato - Allegro maestoso Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky	Kurt Masur	13:02	Amazon
	5	Francesca da Rimini, symphonic fantasy for orchestra in E minor, Op. 32 Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky	Kurt Masur	23:54	Amazon

Track Listing - Disc 2

Sample		Title/Composer	Performer	Time	Stream
Symphony No. 2 in C minor ("Little Russian"), Op. 17
	1	1. Andante sostenuto - Allegro vivo Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky	Kurt Masur	11:08	Amazon
	2	2. Andantino marziale, quasi moderato Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky	Kurt Masur	06:39	Amazon
	3	3. Scherzo: Allegro molto vivace Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky	Kurt Masur	05:19	Amazon
	4	4. Finale: Moderato assai - Allegro vivo - Presto Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky	Kurt Masur	10:36	Amazon
	5	Romeo and Juliet, fantasy-overture for orchestra in B minor (3 versions) Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky	Kurt Masur	18:43	Amazon

Track Listing - Disc 3

Sample		Title/Composer	Performer	Time	Stream
Symphony No. 3 in D major ("Polish"), Op. 29
	1	1. Introduzione e Allegro - Moderato assai (Tempo di marcia funebre) Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky	Kurt Masur	12:52	Amazon
	2	2. Alla tedesca - Allegro moderato e semplice Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky	Kurt Masur	06:02	Amazon
	3	3. Andante elegiaco Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky	Kurt Masur	07:19	Amazon
	4	4. Scherzo: Allegro vivo Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky	Kurt Masur	05:34	Amazon
	5	5. Finale: Allegro con fuoco (Tempo di polacca) Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky	Kurt Masur	08:02	Amazon
Mazeppa, opera
	6	Gopak Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky	Kurt Masur	04:19	Amazon
	7	Festival Coronation March, for orchestra (or piano) in D major Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky	Kurt Masur	05:22	Amazon

Track Listing - Disc 4

Sample		Title/Composer	Performer	Time	Stream
Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36
	1	1. Andante sostenuto - Moderato con anima - Moderato assai, quasi andante - Allegro vivo Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky	Kurt Masur	18:42	Amazon
	2	2. Andantino in moto di canzone Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky	Kurt Masur	09:34	Amazon
	3	3. Scherzo: Pizzicato ostinato - Allegro Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky	Kurt Masur	05:27	Amazon
	4	4. Finale: Allegro con fuoco Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky	Kurt Masur	08:47	Amazon

Track Listing - Disc 5

Sample		Title/Composer	Performer	Time	Stream
Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64
	1	1. Andante - Allegro con anima Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky	Kurt Masur	15:40	Amazon
	2	2. Andante cantabile, con alcuna licenza Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky	Kurt Masur	13:01	Amazon
	3	3. Valse: Allegro moderato Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky	Kurt Masur	06:08	Amazon
	4	4. Finale: Andante maestoso - Allegro vivace Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky	Kurt Masur	12:21	Amazon

Track Listing - Disc 6

Sample		Title/Composer	Performer	Time	Stream
Symphony No. 6 in B minor ("Pathétique"), Op. 74
	1	1. Adagio - Allegro non troppo Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky	Kurt Masur	18:07	Amazon
	2	2. Allegro con grazia Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky	Kurt Masur	07:31	Amazon
	3	3. Allegro molto vivace Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky	Kurt Masur	08:29	Amazon
	4	4. Finale: Adagio lamentoso - Andante Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky	Kurt Masur	09:34	Amazon

Track Listing - Disc 7

Sample		Title/Composer	Performer	Time	Stream
Manfred Symphony, for orchestra (or piano, 4 hands) in B minor, Op. 58
	1	1. Lento lugubre - Moderato con moto - Andante Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky	Kurt Masur	15:41	Amazon
	2	2. Vivace con spirito Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky	Kurt Masur	09:25	Amazon
	3	3. Andante con moto Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky	Kurt Masur	11:10	Amazon
	4	4. Allegro con fuoco Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky	Kurt Masur	17:11	Amazon

Track Listing - Disc 8

Sample		Title/Composer	Performer	Time	Stream
Piano Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor, Op. 23
	1	1. Allegro non troppo e molto maestoso - Allegro con spirito Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky	Kurt Masur	20:28	Amazon
	2	2. Andantino semplice - Prestissimo - Tempo I Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky	Kurt Masur	07:15	Amazon
	3	3. Allegro con fuoco Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky	Kurt Masur	06:47	Amazon
Concert Fantasia, for piano & orchestra (or 2 pianos) in G major, Op. 56
	4	1. Quasi rondo: Andante mosso Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky	Kurt Masur	14:50	Amazon
	5	2. Contrastes: Andante cantabile - Molto vivace Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky	Kurt Masur	13:13	Amazon

Track Listing - Disc 9

Sample		Title/Composer	Performer	Time	Stream
Piano Concerto No. 2 in G major, Op. 44
	1	1. Allegro brillante e molto vivace Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky	Kurt Masur	20:41	Amazon
	2	2. Andante non troppo Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky	Kurt Masur	14:44	Amazon
	3	3. Allegro con fuoco Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky	Kurt Masur	07:59	Amazon
	4	Piano Concerto No. 3 in E flat major, Op. post. 75 Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky	Kurt Masur	14:40	Amazon

Track Listing - Disc 10

Sample		Title/Composer	Performer	Time	Stream
The Swan Lake, ballet, Op. 20
	1	"Farewell of the Guests' and Waltz Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky	Kurt Masur	07:20	Amazon
	2	Waltz Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky	Kurt Masur	07:24	Amazon
Eugene Onegin, opera, Op. 24
	3	Waltz Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky	Kurt Masur	06:21	Amazon
The Sleeping Beauty, ballet, Op. 66
	4	Waltz Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky	Kurt Masur	04:50	Amazon
Hamlet, incidental music for soprano, baritone & orchestra, Op. 67a
	5	Interlude waltz Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky	Kurt Masur	03:49	Amazon
Nutcracker, ballet, Op. 71
	6	Waltz of the Snowflakes Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky	Kurt Masur	04:00	Amazon
	7	Waltz of the Flowers Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky	Kurt Masur	06:52	Amazon
	8	Final Waltz and Apotheosis Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky	Kurt Masur	03:47	Amazon
Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64
	9	3. Valse: Allegro moderato Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky	Kurt Masur	06:31	Amazon
Symphony No. 6 in B minor ("Pathétique"), Op. 74
	10	2. Allegro con grazia Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky	Kurt Masur	07:56	Amazon
Serenade for strings (or piano, 4 hands) in C major, Op. 48
	11	2. Valse: Moderato - Tempo di valse Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky	Kurt Masur	03:52	Amazon

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