Tchaikovsky - Symphony 4 [Masur-Gewandhausorchester Leipzig] It's been quite a while since i listened to the Fourth Symphony of Tchaikovsky, and i forget how really good it is, i have a hard time with Tchaikovsky's first three Symphonies, they just sound below par, his last Symphony is the best of all, and then the Fifth, and then the Fourth.
Kurt Masur was born in Germany, now 83 years old, this work was recorded in the late Eighties, the booklet cover seems strange [photo by Francisco Hidalgo], what does it depict?, a park square covered in snow, with some abandoned chairs lined up!, and what's it got to do with the music?, dark and broiling clouds above, and green writing on the front cover, i still like it a lot, there's a certain desolate loneliness about it!.
It was the first movement that i really enjoyed the most, it's the extensive use of brass throughout the movement that i love, the horns especially have a prominent place, the opening fanfares are terrific [0:00-0:43], all terraced in different brass voicings, after the opening fanfare it turns into a sort of a quasi waltz deep down [1:28+], something that Tchaikovsky just couldn't seem to avoid!, it's in the key of F Minor, so Tchaikovsky plies us with anger and sadness, the timpani are prominent too, hammering out rolling thunder at times, i like the frantic and fast strings with the timpani beating away the rhythm [4:21-4:51], a plangent bass clarinet [5:29+] with assorted woodwinds following, give a sad little delicate waltz, this turns into an even gentler string serenade / waltz [6:33-7:43], with a supremely inspired low and quiet timpani heartbeat, creating a nice little march at the same time, this comes back later towards the end [14:17-15:26], this turns into a forte brass / frantic high violin melee [8:15-9:03], i like the way the brass fanfares from the start of the Symphony keep coming back again and again [11:31, 11:54, & 12:28], like some idee fixe, Tchaikovsky uses the low bassoon notes to great effect in a little waltz solo [13:11-13:28], which turns into a waltz featuring a flute and horn in duet [13:33-13:55], strange bedfellows indeed!, and right at the end Tchaikovsky has one last very high and frantic violin passage [17:57+], where the brass make glorious rising fanfare blasts, very atmospheric, the whole movement had me appreciating Tchaikovsky all the more for his genius.
Here's Daniel Barenboim conducting the first movement on YouTube.
