# Opinion of and Favorite Recordings of Tchaikovsky's Manfred?



## haziz (Sep 15, 2017)

What is your opinion of Tchaikovsky's Manfred? What is your favorite recording of this symphony? Feel free to elaborate on why a particular recording appeals or does not. 

Thanks.


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## Scherzi Cat (8 mo ago)

To me, it is one of his least memorable works. Therefore, I don’t listen to it often enough to have a favorite recording. I own the Petrenko, and it is good.


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## bluto32 (Apr 25, 2015)

I think it's absolutely marvellous! There's a gritty determination and despair to the main "Manfred" theme in the outer movements, which I rate as one of Tchaikovsky's most memorable themes in all his symphonies. Was it ever used in a film or TV series?

I only own one recording and believe it to be very well played and recorded: Jansons with the Oslo P.O. on Chandos (as part of his excellent box set of all 7 symphonies).


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## mbhaub (Dec 2, 2016)

I love this music. There are several fine recordings and unfortunately a lot of awful ones.

The best, for an exciting performance and great sound is Vladimir Jurowski and the London Philharmonic. Very hard to beat. Rostropovich, also with the London Phil is very good, the sound dated. Petrenko on Naxos is superb, too. Svetlanov could have been the best ever, but the Melodiya sound is raw, coarse, strident. His later recording re-writes the finale. Others I like: Chailly, Maazel, Silvestrov, Litton and Markevitch. Muti is terrific, too.

The stinkers: these are recordings where the conductor thinks he's the genius and rapes the music. There are appalling cuts, reorchestration and other meddling with what Tchaikovsky wrote that I find offensive: Fedoseyev, Goosens, Kletzki lead the list.

There are several that are just so-so; nothing really wrong but you won't be convinced they loved the music: Ormandy, Previn, Ahronovitch, Haitink.

Toscanini: for a guy who didn't do a lot of Tchaikovsky, why he learned Manfred is hard to understand. I have two recordings: the studio version and then a live one. They're both white-hot, beautifully done and cut. There's a whopping one in the finale. This is how I first got to know Manfred and either is very much worth hearing.

I bought the Bychkov recording when it came out, anticipating a great new Tchaikovsky cycle. I was not impressed at all.


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## Animal the Drummer (Nov 14, 2015)

Sorry but the "Manfred" puts me in mind of Rossini's quip about Wagner having "exciting moments and tedious half-hours" or some such. I too have the Jansons recording and it's OK.


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## EdwardBast (Nov 25, 2013)

I think the first movement is exellent and would have made a magnificent stand-alone tone poem. The rest is substandard Tchaikovsky. For some reason known only to him, the composer had fallen under the influence of Mili Balakiriev at the time of its composition and apparently listened to his copious advice on its prospective structure and program.

I enjoy hearing what Tchaikovsky does with an orchestra larger than his usual conservative forces. I don't have a favorite performance but heard Previn and the LSO(?) first.


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## dko22 (Jun 22, 2021)

mbhaub said:


> Svetlanov could have been the best ever, but the Melodiya sound is raw, coarse, strident


that what I most love about the Svetlanov cycle -- the absence of western smoothness in the recording as well as the performance.


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## Kiki (Aug 15, 2018)

I like Tchaikovsky's Manfred Symphony. While it may not sound very symphonic compared to #4-6, There is still a lot of beautiful music in it, especially in that light-footed and slightly melancholic scherzo.

The Jansons (Chandos) is wonderful. I was surprised to see Tchaikovsky Research stating the Jansons (Chandos) as "with alterations". Conductors are known to make small changes here and there in Manfred, and I cannot tell the difference anyway, but that's only me. There is also a Jansons live DVD, included in Warner's big Jansons box, which I have not heard and would love to get my hands on.

Other (allegedly) uncut versions that I really like include -
Vladimir Jurowski / LPO, 2004 Live (LPO) - Musical.
Vasily Petrenko / RLPO, 2007 (Naxos) - Orthodox but exciting.
Igor Markevitch / LSO, 1964 (Decca) - Thrilling.
Riccardo Chailly / Lurcerne, 2017 Live (Accentus) - Quite streamlined, perhaps surprisingly much slower than expected of the recent day Chailly.

Pity that Mravinsky never played it.


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## golfer72 (Jan 27, 2018)

I never really took to Manfred. Maybe I should listen again.


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## Xenophiliu (Jan 2, 2022)

Manfred is a composition that doesn't work for me if handled with a velvet glove. One recording I was surprised not to see here is Riccardo Muti with the Philharmonia. It was the one I lived with for many years, and happily so.


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## mbhaub (Dec 2, 2016)

Xenophiliu said:


> One recording I was surprised not to see here is Riccardo Muti with the Philharmonia. It was the one I lived with for many years, and happily so.


It was on my list. A fine performance, like almost everything Muti did. I've always been surprised that Neeme Jarvi never did it.


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