# Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 1 recordings recommendations



## UnTalBilly (Apr 24, 2017)

Hi. A couple days ago I went to saw my country's national orchestra play Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 1 and by the end of the thing I was full of happiness, puzzled that something so pure and beautiful had been conceived. Anyway, I just wanted to ask for some recommendations for recordings of this piece to be able to hear it again.

Thanks!


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## bharbeke (Mar 4, 2013)

Try to find Igor Markevitch conducting the London Symphony Orchestra. That is the best I've heard. A runner-up is Pablo Heras-Casado with the Orchestra of St. Luke's.


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## Becca (Feb 5, 2015)

Antal Dorati and the London Symphony in a set which includes the 1st, 2nd & 3rd symphonies. If you like those, you will probably also enjoy his 4 Orchestral Suites, once again, Dorati/LSO.


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## Judith (Nov 11, 2015)

Love RLPO conducted by Vasily Petrenko from Tchaikovsky symphonies 1, 2 & 5 CD or New Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Riccardo Muti from Tchaikovsky box set.


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## mbhaub (Dec 2, 2016)

The Markevitch is as good as it gets. But if more modern sound is important, Andrew Litton with the Bournemouth orchestra made a tremendously fine set of the symphonies in the early digital years and the First is a winner start to finish. The recorded sound is excellent.


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## Triplets (Sep 4, 2014)

MTT and Karajan have been my favorites. In Multichannel, Pletnev


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## Haydn man (Jan 25, 2014)

Judith said:


> Love RLPO conducted by Vasily Petrenko from Tchaikovsky symphonies 1, 2 & 5 CD or New Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Riccardo Muti from Tchaikovsky box set.


I would agree with both these choices


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## T Son of Ander (Aug 25, 2015)

My favorite is Gerard Schwarz and Seattle, but there are many great ones.


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## manyene (Feb 7, 2015)

I would echo the recommendation of Petrenko's recent recording with the RLPO - they did the whole cycle a couple of seasons ago.


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## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

Markevitch is tops for me in No.1 but Dorati and Muti aren't far behind (not forgetting Petrenko and Gergiev). Lots of great recordings of the 1st tbh.


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## Tchaikov6 (Mar 30, 2016)

Pletnev is not to be missed either.


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## Heck148 (Oct 27, 2016)

Abbado/CSO for me, wonderful recording, splendid playing...also Bernstein/NYPO...Harold Gomberg"s delicious oboe solo in mvt II is worth the price by itself...


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## arnerich (Aug 19, 2016)

The second movement of that symphony really is a gem.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Another vote for the Muti set.


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## Orfeo (Nov 14, 2013)

*Cannot really go wrong with:*

 Svetlanov and the USSR Symphony (Melodiya) or the Russian Federation Symphony (Canyon/Warner).
Rozhdestvensky with the Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra (Melodiya).
Rostropovich with the London Philharmonic (EMI) is solid, beautifully molded performance.


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## Nereffid (Feb 6, 2013)

A meaningless vote for Petrenko from me.


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## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

We are spoilt for choice on Tchaikovsky symhonies, IMO. So many great recordings. The last time I played symphony 1 was from Slatkin's set with the Detroit SO and that was excellent too.


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## Heck148 (Oct 27, 2016)

Tchaikovsky Sym #1 is really a delightful work....great to hear, and great fun to play...some really beautiful woodwind writing, in some ways reminiscent of the "Nutcracker".

The other "early" Tchaik symphonies are fine works as well - I much prefer them to the vastly overplayed #s 4 and 5.
I feel lucky to have played them all, 1 and 2 many times, and #3 a couple of times...


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## snowyflow (Jul 30, 2014)

Heck148 said:


> ...The other "early" Tchaik symphonies are fine works as well - I much prefer them to the vastly overplayed #s 4 and 5...


Agreed. Between his first and 2nd (considering them as his early symphonies), I like this one far better; the 2nd to me is a so-so piece, sounds much like an orchestration of few folk songs, flat, there is no drama.

I have owned Karajan's (DG 1979 with Berlin Phil) set of all 6 symphonies for over 20 years, still sounds great.


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## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

Karajan and the BPO. Very fresh sounding performance. Another good one is by Litton but the standard of orchestral playing not quite as good.


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## Heck148 (Oct 27, 2016)

snowyflow said:


> the 2nd to me is a so-so piece, sounds much like an orchestration of few folk songs, flat, there is no drama.


Hmmm....interesting - I find Sym #2 full of drama, esp mvts I and IV....in the finale, I esp like how he introduces the 2nd theme, and this ends up almost like a "swing tune" - syncopated, quasi-jazzy - it really gets rocking - at least with Abbado/Chicago...then there is the wonderful "gong shot" before the final section-coda, which leads to rousing finish...I so much prefer this finale to that of Sym #4, which is repetitious and ultimately, rather uninteresting...



> I have owned Karajan's (DG 1979 with Berlin Phil) set of all 6 symphonies for over 20 years, still sounds great.


Perhaps that is why you think it a so-so-piece?? Others do it so much better; IMO, at least...


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## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

I must admit I prefer the 2nd to the 1st, too, but enjoy all the first 3.


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## Heck148 (Oct 27, 2016)

Merl said:


> I must admit I prefer the 2nd to the 1st, too, but enjoy all the first 3.


Same here, hard to rank them, they are all good....great fun to play, very rewarding...


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## Boston Charlie (Dec 6, 2017)

I'd go all the way back to Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra for a solid reading of all 6 of the Tchaikovsky symphonies plus the non-canonical "Manfred" and the "Symphony # 7" in E flat. Sony has released a very modestly priced box set that has it all plus the violin concerto, all three piano concertos, the three ballets, the 1812 Overture and other odds and ends; but why am I throwing more information on an already overwhelming mountain of advice? 

I think that T's 1st is a nice symphony, and as someone here already mentioned, the second movement is beautiful. The 2nd Symphony is nearly as enjoyable, as is the 3rd that somehow suffers somewhat of a bad rap despite the fact that it is quite entertaining even if it seems to run out of steam towards the finale. While the 4th is probably to my ears T's finest symphonic statement of all, I sometimes find myself growing weary of T's lush and gushing 5th. The 6th, of course, is stuff of legend, highly emotional and personal, and in my opinion very dependent upon a good interpretation. The non-canonical "Manfred" has some great moments but seems to be in need of editing as it seems that T has a hard time getting from point A to point B while maintaining flow. The also non-canonical "7th" or "E flat" would be a fine enough symphony if a lesser composer than T had composed it, as it is sound but not as interesting as T's other musical offerings. 

The point that someone brought up about T being more cosmopolitan than Russian is something that I think needs some further discussion. While the school of the Mighty Five, Mily Balakirev and his circle that included Borodin, Mussorgsky and Rimsky-Korsakov, might have sought a more authentic Russian musical language, T remains as Russian or even more Russian than them all. Even if T attempted to adopt and apply Western European forms to his musical ideas, his own sad and soulful Russian persona always is present. As the competing school says, "look here we are Russian", T never has to say it because the Russian landscape permeates everything he composes even when he tries to follow Western European models.


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## snowyflow (Jul 30, 2014)

Heck148 said:


> I find Sym #2 full of drama, esp mvts I and IV....in the finale, I esp like how he introduces the 2nd theme, and this ends up almost like a "swing tune" - syncopated, quasi-jazzy - it really gets rocking - at least with Abbado/Chicago...then there is the wonderful "gong shot" before the final section-coda, which leads to rousing finish...I so much prefer this finale to that of Sym #4, which is repetitious and ultimately, rather uninteresting...


Now an opinion on #2 the opposite of mine... good, now you got me going...I'm going to check it out on the recordings you mentioned.


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## Joachim Raff (Jan 31, 2020)

I enjoy the first symphony as much as the rest. Some really good recommendations by others but my favourite is as follows

My 1st Choice:









My 2nd Choice:


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## larold (Jul 20, 2017)

Maazel and Vienna Philharmonic -- an example of the great young Maazel.


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## Brahmsian Colors (Sep 16, 2016)

My choices for the Tchaikovsky First on my preferred format---lp


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## MatthewWeflen (Jan 24, 2019)

Another vote for Karajan/BPO. I don't have a ton of other Tchaikovsky recordings, but that's because this set is so utterly convincing. The sound quality is also stupendous.


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## Triplets (Sep 4, 2014)

new recording that I really like since this thread was started is Bychkov/Czech PO
I also have encountered Muti and the Philharmonia from the last century and find it has anice Italianate lilt


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## Triplets (Sep 4, 2014)

MatthewWeflen said:


> Another vote for Karajan/BPO. I don't have a ton of other Tchaikovsky recordings, but that's because this set is so utterly convincing. The sound quality is also stupendous.
> 
> View attachment 133506


 I wasn't aware that HvK Tchaik was in Blu Ray--thanks for the heads up


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## MatthewWeflen (Jan 24, 2019)

Triplets said:


> I wasn't aware that HvK Tchaik was in Blu Ray--thanks for the heads up


Yeah, it's a 96k/24b hi-res transfer. Sounds great, and it's what I listen to exclusively over my headphones. The physical edition is cheaper (sigh) but it can also be purchased as a download at HDTracks.com.

https://www.hdtracks.com/tchaikovsky-symphonies-no-1-6


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## littlejohnuk1 (5 mo ago)

I really rate this one:


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## haziz (Sep 15, 2017)

Michael Tilson Thomas - Boston SO
Maazel - Vienna PO
Muti - Philharmonia
Ormandy - Philadelphia
Jurowski - London PO

Katajan, Markevitch, Dorati, V. Petrenko and others have also made fine recordings of the first as well as the entire cycle.


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## Animal the Drummer (Nov 14, 2015)

Another vote from me for Michael Tilson Thomas and the Boston Symphony. IMHO Tilson Thomas doesn't always sound equally fresh and natural in some of his later recordings.


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