Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 (SACD review)

Also, Francesca da Rimini. Mikhail Pletnev, Russian National Orchestra. PentaTone Classics PTC 5186 385.

The Symphony No. 5 (1888) by Peter Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) is a personal favorite of mine, and I would hardly have trusted anybody to do it more justice than Maestro Mikhail Pletnev and his Russian National Orchestra. Here, he provides a reasoned, well-proportioned account of the score, without as much of the histrionics we have come to expect from this music. In other words, he doesn't make the piece a show horse, choosing instead to take a more moderate, sensitive approach. It may or may not work for you. To each his own.

The opening Andante sounds fluid, the "fate" theme well defined. But when the composer opens it up to a full-fledged Allegro con anima, the music doesn't have quite the full-throated passion we sometimes hear. In the slow Andante that follows, Pletnev connects the dots, so to speak. We can feel the natural relationship between this leisurely, poetic section and the music that preceded it. So, with Pletnev this is not to be a symphony of contrasts but one of unity, with the recurring hints of "fate" well integrated into the whole.

The little third-movement Valse reminds us that Tchaikovsky wrote some of the most lyrical ballet music ever created. However, again Pletnev never overplays it, determined to bring out the more elegant, symphonic characteristics in the notes. Then, in the finale the composer gives us basically a repeat of the first movement, complete with a slow introduction, the restatement of fate, an energetic march, and a triumphant conclusion. Nevertheless, maintaining his stylish vision to the end, Pletnev seems a tad sedate compared to the more-animated interpretations of people like Mravinsky and the Leningrad Philharmonic (DG), Muti and the New Philharmonia (EMI), Jansons and the Oslo Philharmonic (Chandos), or even Haitink and the Concertgebouw (Philips). Frankly, while I admired Pletnev's intentions, I prefer a more red-blooded rendering of the music.

The companion piece on the disc is Tchaikovsky's tone poem (or symphonic fantasy) Francesca da Rimini (1877). The music tells the story of an illicit love affair that ends in tragedy, so you know you're in for some heavy melodrama here. Pletnev, though, tends to overintellectualize much of it, particularly in the beginning, and it doesn't convey the fervor of Stokowski's old Everest performance. There is no denying the punch of the music in its second half, though, and Pletnev does a fine job communicating the final anguish of events.

PentaTone recorded the multichannel sound at DZZ Studio 5, Moscow, in 2010, and they make it available on the current hybrid disc in five-channel SACD as well as two-channel CD and SACD. So, depending on your playback equipment, you have a choice of options. I listened to the two-channel SACD layer.

The sound is pleasant, if not very exceptional in any way. It is very smooth, exhibiting a moderate degree of front-to-rear depth, a good dynamic range, and adequate impact, easily evident in the SACD playback mode. The areas that are slightly lacking involve ultimate midrange transparency, where things are a tad soft; air around the instruments, where things are a bit flat; and frequency extremes, bass and treble, which are not too deep or sparkling. Not that there is anything terribly wrong in these areas; they just aren't quite in the audiophile range.

JJP