Tchaikovsky - Fatum, The Storm, The Voyevode & The Tempest - Inbal, Frankfurt RSO

Tchaikovsky - Fatum, The Storm, The Voyevode & The Tempest - Inbal, Frankfurt RSO
Orchestral | Eac, flac, cue | no log, cover | 1 CD, 283 MB
October 11, 1994 | Philips | RapidShare

"Fatum", "The Storm," "The Tempest" and "The Voyevode" are all great works that are way under-heard. They don't deserve the relatively obscure status they have received. The first three are performed very well and each runs a familiar pattern of dramatic intensity followed by beautiful lyrical themes in the middle. Tchaikovsky was very generous with his melodies and these three works are no exception. Listen for an unusual and compelling ending to "Fatum." It is quite good and includes and unexpected "twist of fate." "The Storm" has several Berlioz-sounding devices which I found quite interesting. The real gem of this collection is "The Voyevode" and it is not heard often enough. It was one of the last of his orchestral works next to his 6th symphony. One can hear echoes and parallels to his last symphony. "The Voyevode" is one of his most intensely dark, mysterious, desolate--and the most Russian-sounding of any of his works. This music can easily sound muddy but this performance is rich with dramatic clarity. It was like I was listening to it for the first time--the way it 'should' sound. Listen to this masterpiece and you may be reminded of a Russian winter. At midnight. Spring is so very far away that it seems an impossible hope. But there is a brief respite from the frozen winds on this moonless night: A small fire inside a Russian peasant dwelling provides some feeble warmth. Unlike his other tone poems, there is no love theme here, but it is still splendid and flows like a shot of vodka. Then suddenly SLAM--the door is shut. We are once again lost in the numbing brutality of the Siberian winter. The ending is similar to the 6th symphony only this time it is even less gentle and sympathetic. There is no heartbeat or the slightest speck of hope. Just a Stalin-like cruel ending. Tchaikovsky tore up the score and called it 'rubbish.' This is very curious and indicates the distressed state of mind he was in before he drank the cholera-laden water. Fortunately they reconstructed the work from the remaining orchestral parts.--Amazon


CD Content

Tchaikovsky - Fatum, Op. 77
Tchaikovsky - The Storm, Op. 76
Tchaikovsky - The Voyevode, Op. 78
Tchaikovsky - The Tempest, Op. 18