Tchaikovsky: Symphonies Nos. 4 & 5
Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt; Albert Wolff; Carl Schuricht
Label
Decca
Catalogue No.
4840407
Barcode
00028948404070
Format
2-CD
About

The Decca Sound in Hamburg and Paris: a trio of 1950s Tchaikovsky albums, including a pair of symphony recordings previously unpublished on CD.

This supple and beautifully proportioned 1952 mono account of the Fifth Symphony marked the debut on disc of the NDR Sinfonieorchester under its founding conductor Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt, the focus of two other recent Eloquence releases (symphonies by Mozart, 484 0353, and Dvořák, 484 0366). ‘Like most of the great European conductors,’ wrote the critic Harold C Schonberg, ‘[Schmidt-Isserstedt] has been brought up in a tradition that insists on selflessness before great music. The aim of conducting, as he sees it, is to bring out the message of the composer and not the skill.’

The other performances on this compilation have a French accent which particularly suits the brilliance of Tchaikovsky’s orchestration. Albert Wolff (1884-1970) had begun recording for Decca in 1951 – Massenet’s Manon with the Opéra Comique – and he continued to make albums of French and Russian music throughout the 50s, with this combustible stereo account of Tchaikovsky’s Fourth being his envoi to the label. Carl Schuricht (1880-1967) was a no less welcome guest to the podium of the Paris Conservatoire Orchestra at that time. For EMI they made an admirably unfussy cycle of Beethoven symphonies, preserving the French Beethoven tradition at its most fleet and balletic, while their Decca recordings displayed the same virtues in the music of Schumann, Wagner and Tchaikovsky. These mono recordings of the Capriccio Italien and the Theme and Variations finale of the Third Orchestral Suite have only previously been available on CD as part of a larger box; their extrovert temperament makes them a fine complement to Wolff in the Fourth Symphony.

TRACK LISTING / ARTISTS

PIOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY (1840–1893)

CD 1
1–4 Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36*
5 Capriccio italien, Op. 45

CD 2
1 Suite No. 3 in G major, Op. 55: IV. Tema con variazioni
Paris Conservatoire Orchestra
Albert Wolff (Symphony No. 4)
Carl Schuricht (Capriccio italien, Suite No. 3)

2–5 Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64°
Hamburg Radio Symphony Orchestra
Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt

*FIRST CD RELEASE ON DECCA
°FIRST INTERNATIONAL CD RELEASE ON DECCA

Track previews
Symphony No. 5 in E Minor, Op. 64, TH 29: 3. Valse. Allegro moderato
Symphony No. 5 in E Minor, Op. 64, TH 29: 4. Finale. Andante maestoso - Allegro vivace
Symphony No. 4 in F Minor, Op. 36, TH 27: 1. Andante sostenuto - Moderato con anima - Moderato assai, quasi andante - Allegro vivo
Symphony No. 4 in F Minor, Op. 36, TH 27: 2. Andantino in modo di canzona
Symphony No. 4 in F Minor, Op. 36, TH 27: 3. Scherzo. Pizzicato ostinato. Allegro
Symphony No. 4 in F Minor, Op. 36, TH 27: 4. Finale. Allegro con fuoco
Capriccio italien, Op. 45, TH 47
Suite for Orchestra No. 3 in G Major, Op. 55, TH 33: 4. Tema con variazioni
Symphony No. 5 in E Minor, Op. 64, TH 29: 1. Andante - Allegro con anima
Symphony No. 5 in E Minor, Op. 64, TH 29: 2. Andante cantabile, con alcuna licenza - Moderato con anima
Recording information

Recording Producers: Ray Minshull, Michael Williamson (Symphony No. 4); John Culshaw (Symphony No. 5, Capriccio italien, Suite No. 3)
Balance Engineers: James Timms, Kenneth Wilkinson (Symphony No. 4); unknown (Capriccio italien, Suite No. 3, Symphony No. 5)
Recording Locations: La Maison de la Chimie, Paris, France, 5–6 May 1959 (Symphony No. 4); La Maison de la Mutualité, Paris, 16–30 June 1952 (Capriccio italien, Suite No. 3); Hamburg, September/October 1952 (Symphony No. 5)
Remastering Engineer: Chris Bernauer
Original Decca LP Releases: LXT 5538 / SXL 2166 (Symphony No. 4: November 1959); LXT 2761 (Capriccio italien, Suite No. 3: January 1953); LXT 2758 (Symphony No. 5: January 1953)

Reviews

‘The playing is excellent and Decca’s sound has a nice bloom.’ High Fidelity, October 1954 (Capriccio Italien)

‘The reproduced sound is interesting. There is some brilliance, much warmth, good colour, and fine fortissimo. The first clarinet of the Hamburg orchestra is a noticeably fine player, and the strings are very good too… the Hamburgers are an excellent orchestra, and the recording contains a large amount of very beautiful sound.’ Gramophone, February 1953 (Symphony No.5)