# Manfred Symphony



## DTut (Jan 2, 2011)

I was never a big fan of Tchaikovsky. All his super popular music (Nutcracker, etc.) never really grabbed me until...I discovered the 'Manfred Symphony'. 

I absolutely love it. It's raucous, emotional, poignant. And the icing on the cake is a harp and an organ are part of the instrumentation. 

The CD contains 'The Voyevoda' which is also outstanding. I have a new appreciation for Tchaikovsky!

I have the Naxos disc with Vasily Petrenko at the helm.

Dave


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## NorthernHarrier (Mar 1, 2017)

I just received a CD set with the Manfred on it - I'll give it a good listen - as there are certainly many forum members mentioning it as a favorite.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Get the Muti recording even a bigger surprise.


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Relevant threads:
http://www.talkclassical.com/47616-manfred-symphony.html
http://www.talkclassical.com/13224-manfred-symphony.html


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## Triplets (Sep 4, 2014)

I disagree with you about the rest of Tchaikovsky--he has always been a favorite for me--but I agree about Manfred. It's supposed 'flaws' are actually strengths


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## Vaneyes (May 11, 2010)




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## Dima (Oct 3, 2016)

Eugene Svetlanov - was and remains one of the greatest interpretators of Tchaikovsky.
Just listen to one of his last recordings of Manfred (1992) and you will understand why the biggest Concert Hall in Moscow is now named after Svetlanov:






Here you can see the photo of this concert hall:


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## merlinus (Apr 12, 2014)

Two performances of "Manfred" that are terrific are Kitayenko and Rostropovich.


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## EdwardBast (Nov 25, 2013)

I have always loved the first movement of Manfred but find the rest of it only intermittently interesting. To me it groans under the weight and influence of a dumb program. I find all of the other symphonies, except maybe the third, more satisfying overall. I wish the first movement of Manfred would be performed on its own as a symphonic poem.


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## Animal the Drummer (Nov 14, 2015)

Dima said:


> Eugene Svetlanov - was and remains one of the greatest interpretators of Tchaikovsky.
> Just listen to one of his last recordings of Manfred (1992) and you will understand why the biggest Concert Hall in Moscow is now named after Svetlanov:
> 
> 
> ...


Agreed. If one's going to listen to this piece (and I'm afraid I agree with EdwardBast about it overall) Svetlanov's performance is the one to go for.

Svetlanov was also a very fine pianist who could easily have made that his career.


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## techniquest (Aug 3, 2012)

> I have always loved the first movement of Manfred but find the rest of it only intermittently interesting.


How peculiar; that's exactly how I feel about the 4th symphony. I enjoy all of the Manfred although I agree somewhat about it groaning under the weight of a program, especially in the last movement which does ramble on a bit.
The Muti recording is excellent, but I also like the RPO's recording on their own label under Kazuhiro Koizumi.


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## EdwardBast (Nov 25, 2013)

techniquest said:


> *How peculiar; that's exactly how I feel about the 4th symphony. *I enjoy all of the Manfred although I agree somewhat about it groaning under the weight of a program, especially in the last movement which does ramble on a bit. The Muti recording is excellent, but I also like the RPO's recording on their own label under Kazuhiro Koizumi.


Really? The slow movement is a lyrical gem, every note in the right place. The scherzo is one of the most original creations of the Romantic Era. You like Tchaikovsky and don't like those movements?  And, just to be clear, I wasn't complaining about Manfred "groaning under the weight of a program," I was complaining that it groans "under the weight of a _dumb_ program." I have nothing against program symphonies in general.


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## Vasks (Dec 9, 2013)

Tchaikovsky composed many, many hits that will endure forever, but he did write a number of duds too. Manfred is one of the latter.


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## techniquest (Aug 3, 2012)

> You like Tchaikovsky and don't like those movements?


Not what I said, but hey - you know best.


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## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

EdwardBast said:


> I have always loved the first movement of Manfred but find the rest of it only intermittently interesting. To me it groans under the weight and influence of a dumb program. I find all of the other symphonies, except maybe the third, more satisfying overall. I wish the first movement of Manfred would be performed on its own as a symphonic poem.


I'm with you on Manfred. It's always been one of my least played Tchaikovsky works. Much rather listen to any of Tchaikovsky's other orchestral output. It's not rubbish but it just goes nowhere, for me. Multi does a great job trying to make it interesting but it's still not for me.


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## Guest (Mar 15, 2017)

Yes, it is one of his best. 5 & 6 challenge it.


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## Klassik (Mar 14, 2017)

EdwardBast said:


> I have always loved the first movement of Manfred but find the rest of it only intermittently interesting. To me it groans under the weight and influence of a dumb program. I find all of the other symphonies, except maybe the third, more satisfying overall. I wish the first movement of Manfred would be performed on its own as a symphonic poem.


I am a Tchaikovsky fan, but I tend to agree with this statement in regards to the Manfred Symphony. According to the liner notes of the recording I have of this symphony, Tchaikovsky considered reworking the first movement into a symphonic poem, but he never got around to doing it unfortunately. According to the liner notes, he apparently considered _Manfred_ his finest symphonic work when it was first performed, but later on he admitted that it would be rarely performed. I don't know if that's because he thought the work was underappreciated or if he lost respect for the work. I certainly don't find _Manfred_ to be bad, but I would not consider it his finest work. I think he tried to squeeze a little too much out of what he had especially in the middle movements.

Perhaps I should give the Muti recording of this a chance as he is someone who does not usually let me down. The recording I have is from the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra conducted by Raymond Leppard in 1993 on the oddball Koss Classics label. The CD also has recordings of Elegie and Cossack Dance. For those who don't know, Koss Classics was a classical label with an audiophile focus run by the Koss headphone company in the late 1980s through the late 1990s. I believe that it was founded due to Michael Koss believing that regional American orchestras deserved to be recorded just as regional European orchestras were at the time. It seemed like a worthy cause, but I can only guess that the business model did not work out. Leppard is no famed international superstar, but the performance quality seems pretty good on this CD and and the fidelity is excellent. I really like the liner notes on this recording too. Does anyone else have any experiences with this recording?


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