Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6 (CD review)

Also, Romeo and Juliet Overture. Paavo Jarvi, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Telarc CD-80681.

The booklet note reminds us that Tchaikovsky's Sixth Symphony, now a staple of the basic repertoire, did not succeed at its première. It confused audiences; they misunderstood it. It wasn't until the composer died, which came shortly thereafter, that people took another look at the work and saw its greatness, even saw in it a possible foreshadowing of the composer's death. Today, we might see the Sixth simply as innovative.

However, it's not hard to grasp why late nineteenth-century listeners might have been surprised by Tchaikovsky's final symphony. The long opening movement begins, unexpectedly, with a quiet Adagio and never reveals its main themes until well into the music. Then it gives us a waltz that isn't quite a waltz but does a wonderful job playing with waltz-like clues. That's followed by a Scherzo in the form of a march that erupts out of nowhere in a tone wholly unanticipated and builds to a frenzied climax. Finally, the last movement brings us back to Earth, prompting us to remember that the symphony's title (whether Tchaikovsky liked it or not) is "Pathetique," as the final deep notes fade off softly, gloomily, into silence.

What Paavo Jarvi and the Cincinnati Symphony do is provide us plenty of pathos. In Jarvi's hands, this is music of yearning, of heartache, of sorrow. And he never lets us forget it. But what I missed was the energy and passion that several other conductors also offer. Jarvi never seems to want to just let go, choosing, instead, to keep the work's more volatile emotions always in rein. By comparison, I had on hand Ashkenazy (Decca), Pletnev (Virgin), and Haitink (Philips), all of whom work up a bigger head of steam than Jarvi in the Symphony's biggest, loudest moments. The same can be said of the Symphony's companion piece, the Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture.

What none of the others have, though, is Telarc's patented bass drum or Telarc's broad dynamic range. Maybe the Telarc recording (made in Music Hall, Cincinnati, Ohio, in January, 2007) lacks a little something in overall transparency, but it more than makes up for it in impact. While Jarvi's rendering is not quite in the top echelon of Sixth Symphony interpretations, it deserves to reach a wide market of fans looking for decent sound and performance.

Adapted from a review the author originally published in the $ensible Sound magazine.

JJP