Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4 in F minor Op. 36–Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra cond. by Claudio Abbado/DG The Original Source vinyl reissue
I’ve owned the original of this Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 4 since its release by Deutsche Grammophon in 1976.
It was engineered by Günter Hermanns and produced by Rainier Brock. Abbado’s career was in full bloom in 1976 with a very close relationship with the Philharmoniker releasing some very good records, not least this fabulous performance of the Tchaikovsky symphony. So good, that it almost knocks the legendary Mravinsky/Leningrad/DG recording off the top of the pile! Almost. And not forgetting the striking cover; a painting by Kandinsky (Russian Beauty in a Landscape—1905).
As the performance is so cogent and played so well, and an easy top choice on original vinyl, CD or streaming, the big question is how Emil Berliner did with the recut. Especially as the new DG OS record came in at CAD 110 on Amazon! This reissue is already sold out (2800 copies pressed). I’m sure it’ll be reprinted, hopefully at a lower cost the second time around.
The remastering, just as all the others by Rainier Maillard, is excellent. If you have the original but only want the best pressing for your curated collection, this new DG The Original Source is an easy buy recommendation.
From the opening horn fanfare, Maillard and Meyer manage the somewhat reverberant environment of an empty Wiener Musikverein, home to the orchestra since 1870. Later in the movement’s development section, the woodwind solos are imaged perfectly, the limpid solos hanging beautifully in midair. All the while, enjoying Abbado’s superb interpretation—he builds and builds to massive climaxes. And when the fanfares return, now on trumpets, the sound is thrilling. And controlled. Always important in Tchaikovsky, the timpani also sounds especially real.
Musikverein, Wien.
This is no X-ray recording, but the cleanup allows far more scrutiny, so, yes, I heard a few string ensemble slips and a very slightly out-of-tune trombone. Both of these very rare Philharmoniker minor errors went unheard on the original vinyl pressing.
Another discovery was the interesting timbre of the Vienna Phil’s oboe of choice from Austrian manufacturer Püchner. It has a very specific tone favoured by the Viennese and is very clear on the new DG. The original gave no hint of the oboe’s nasal timbre.
Another great tell on any recording of Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 4 is the corporate pizzicato at the opening of the Scherzo. It ducks, dives and weaves en masse, at speed, in different dynamics. Only the very best string sections get the accuracy and the tonal centre of the percussive pizzicato plucking action (both heard perfectly on this pressing). And most important, like here, the flesh on the string, that, with lesser players, can make the section sound like a hoard of ukeleles.
Claudio Abbado. Photo credit: NPR.
And the madcap, hurly-burly finale opens on full afterburner and doesn’t let up ‘till the final bars. It’s always been a wild ride, now heard refreshed because of the great work by the crackerjack duo at the Emil Berliner Studios.
For comparison vinyl, the midprice Decca/Szell/LSO is always fun, and for top sonics, the Analogue Productions reissue of the RCA Victor original with Monteux and the Boston Symphony Orchestra is splendid. However, both performances fall a little short of the magnificent Abbado and his Wiener Philharmoniker. As for Mravinsky, if you can put up with the Wembley Town Hall/DG CD sound, he’s your guy. I’m hearing ESOTERIC may do a remaster vinyl pressing of the Mravinsky 4th. Now, that would be something.
