Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5, Francesca da Rimini

1	Symphony No. 5 in E minor
2	Symphony No. 5 in E minor
3	Symphony No. 5 in E minor
4	Symphony No. 5 in E minor
5	Francesca da Rimini, symp
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5, Francesca da Rimini
1.	Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64 48:08
	Composed by Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky
	Conducted by Gustavo Dudamel
	Performed by Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela
2.	Francesca da Rimini, symphonic fantasy for orchestra in E minor, Op. 32 25:33
	Composed by Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky
	Conducted by Gustavo Dudamel
	Performed by Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela

All Music Guide

Youthful conductor Gustavo Dudamel has created a sensation with his critically acclaimed recordings of standard repertoire by Beethoven, Berlioz, and Mahler, and with his Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela, he takes on one more warhorse, the "Symphony No. 5 in E minor" by Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky, with impressive results. Not that there's ordinarily much justification for producing yet another recording of this overly recorded work, especially when so many legendary performances have been reissued and new ones seem to appear on a monthly basis. Yet an exception to this complaint can be made in Dudamel's case because he obviously has something important to say in this 2008 performance that adds to our understanding of the symphony and doesn't just provide a novel twist to extremely familiar music. From the outset, Dudamel treats the score as if it were brand new and not covered in accretions of past performances: the rhythmic details and full orchestration of the Allegro stand out in high relief; the lyricism of the Andante cantabile is touching and hauntingly tragic; the Valse is delicate and picante, yet surprisingly ominous; and the Finale is considerably shorn of bombast thanks to the real explosiveness and fury Dudamel inspires in the musicians. Taken altogether, the pacing of the symphony is also given a makeover, insofar as Dudamel lets it go at its own speed and doesn't rush to get to the big climaxes, but lets the tempos and phrasing develop according to necessity. Of course, some listeners will find Dudamel's interpretation and the orchestra's execution neither daring nor different enough to matter, and for them this symphony has probably already worn out its welcome, along with the popular symphonic fantasia "Francesca da Rimini," which is provided as fiery filler. This is a marvelously insightful reading of the "Fifth" that has genuine emotion and a feeling of organic unfolding and inevitability that makes it feel like great music again. Blair Sanderson

Gramophone

A sinewy, uninhibited Tchaikovsky Fifth -- you'd expect nothing less from this source. Dudamel and his young players feed on one another; the exchange of energy is extraordinary.... Hearing is believing in the coda as the trombones and trumpets tumble into the abyss. Exciting? Deliriously so. Edward Seckerson

Daily Telegraph

A dynamic performance.... The playing packs a passionate punch, the aching pangs of the first movement delivered with palpable anguish, the outbursts charged with hot-blooded fury. Geoffrey Norris