Tchaikovsky - Symphony 5 [Dudamel-Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra Of Venezuela] I really enjoyed this today, my favourite Tchaikovsky Symphony is the Sixth, but hey! the Fifth is not that far behind, and this Symphony finds it's first place in my Blog, Dudamel leads his young players in a reading that is powerful and thrilling, really edge of your seat stuff, lots of atmosphere with the more quieter solo instrumental passages too, not a lazy reading whatsoever, Dudamel pushes things ahead and keeps a scintillating vibe going, supposedly a live recording, but you wouldn't know it, there's no applause at the very end, must be a studio dub.
Gustavo Dudamel is Venezuelan, born in 1981, he recorded this disc in 2008, the booklet front cover shows Dudamel in action [photo by Chris Christodoulou], a really nice recording indeed, you can hear all sorts of things going on, a very pleasing and realistic sound, quiet passages and loud forte outbursts are both expertly caught, nice wide ranging stereo recording, giving a lovely left and right sound image.
All of the movements i found tremendously revelatory, like in some ways i'm hearing the Symphony for the first time all over again, a sure sign that i'm having a better than great time, the opening of the First movement is so atmospheric, and the Fourth movement is so electrically charged, but it's the Second movement where i found an extra element of frisson,
Here's Charles Dutoit conducting the Second movement on YouTube.
