Tchaikovsky: Symphonies 1-3

London Symphony Orchestra/Valery Gergiev LSO live LSO 0710 (2 CDs)****

The public verdict on Tchaikovsky’s symphonies long ago placed the first three well below the last three. And the composer himself, though he retained a special affection for the First (which carries the title Winter Daydreams), didn’t seriously disagree. There’s no shortage of attractive music, some of it in a surprisingly Mendelssohnian vein. But, like an over-loquacious story teller, Tchaikovsky doesn’t always know how best to pace himself.

The major dangers in performance are those of trying to wind up the tension to draw attention away from the music's weaknesses. Valery Gergiev, in tapings made at concerts in London and Zurich, takes a more relaxed approach and doesn't try to wring more from these symphonies than they have to yield. He handles them with an affection which helps mitigate their obvious overstatements. url.ie/4u5f