# Favourite Tchaikovsky Overture?



## BenG (Aug 28, 2018)

I strongly feel that Romeo and Juliet will top everything else but... let's see.


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## Fabulin (Jun 10, 2019)

1812...............


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## Simplicissimus (Feb 3, 2020)

I do love the Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture, but I voted for the Capriccio Italien Op. 45 because the former is really pretty over-exposed.


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

I voted for R/J. Why is 1812 not included?


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## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

March Slave. The others are a bit slow for me.


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## Skakner (Oct 8, 2020)

My two favorites are Romeo and Juliet and Francesca da Rimini.
I voted for *Romeo and Juliet*.


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## flamencosketches (Jan 4, 2019)

I don't know enough of them—thanks to this thread I will try to correct that ASAP. 

Who has made good recordings of Hamlet, The Tempest, Voyevoda and Fatum (never even heard of these last two)...?

Tchaikovsky sure must have admired Shakespeare! I suppose all the Romantics did.


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## mbhaub (Dec 2, 2016)

There is (was?) a great set of all the Tchaikovsky tone poems that is a fine introduction to them. It sounds great, the playing and conducting nothing to complain about and best of all is the price.


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## Axter (Jan 15, 2020)

For me 1812 followed razor sharp closely by Rome and Juliet.
If you ask me on another day it might go the other way round. Both great.


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

1812 hands down


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## musichal (Oct 17, 2020)

I voted _R&J_.

_Capriccio Italien_ closely follows, for me.

_The 1812_ is great, as were _Layla_ and _Stairway to Heaven_ the first few hundred plays. Victims of exposure, for me. Funny, I still enjoy all three when I do hear them. (Like the well-known Mercury Living Presence recording best.)


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## Geoff48 (Aug 15, 2020)

Reluctantly there is only one choice. Whilst all the works are enjoyable Romeo is a perfect summation of Shakespeare’s play and the love theme is one of the greatest melodies of all time. I first got to know it on shellac in the Kousevitsky version although we didn’t have the first record of the set so I didn’t realise the piece had a slow introduction until I acquired it on LP as part of Sargent’s Concert Classic collection with the Royal Philharmonic. For what it’s worth having recently heard the Kousevitsky on Spotify it still seems as good a version as any. And the Sargent isn’t bad either though a little held back. Sargent didn’t do emotion...
But can Romeo, and most of the others really be called an Overture or is it more properly a symphonic poem? Whatever it’s a great work. And whilst the original version is interesting the revised version is really much better.


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## Geoff48 (Aug 15, 2020)

flamencosketches said:


> I don't know enough of them-thanks to this thread I will try to correct that ASAP.
> 
> Who has made good recordings of Hamlet, The Tempest, Voyevoda and Fatum (never even heard of these last two)...?
> 
> Tchaikovsky sure must have admired Shakespeare! I suppose all the Romantics did.


If you want to hear it at its. EST try the Stokowski version coupled with Francesca. Try it first on Spotify as the sound leaves something to be desired. But the performance of both works is blistering.
If you must have more up to date recorded sound Muti iis also pretty good and it's in currently in a 7 cd Tchaikovsky box with the complete symphonies, Manfred, Romeo, Francesca, 1812, Serenade for strings and suites from Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty There is even the Piano Concerto. It currently costs about £14 on Amazon, a bargain.


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## Ned Low (Jul 29, 2020)

Give me Romeo and Juliet anytime.


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## BenG (Aug 28, 2018)

Something is seriously wrong with my memory - forgetting 1812!


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## Orfeo (Nov 14, 2013)

Only two votes for Francesca da Rimini??


Also, Tchaikovsky's two other overtures are not listed, namely:


Festival Overture on the Danish National Anthem (1866)
The Storm (1864)
Both of them are pretty interesting (The Storm even more so).


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## MusicSybarite (Aug 17, 2017)

I voted for the stormy and intensely passionate _Francesca da Rimini_.


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## Heck148 (Oct 27, 2016)

R&J is good, so is Marche Slav, but my vote went to Capriccio Italienne.....neat tunes, flashy orchestration....


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## Animal the Drummer (Nov 14, 2015)

I tend to prefer Tchaikovsky's earlier orchestral pieces (incl.the symphonies) and my vote went to "The Voyevoda" for its strong, rousing ending. On my personal priority list of Russian composers Rachmaninov is top, some way ahead of Tchaikovsky.


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## Brahmsian Colors (Sep 16, 2016)

Capriccio Italien w/ Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

Orfeo said:


> Only two votes for Francesca da Rimini??


Another vote for the lady in the windstorm. I just figured the piece out three weeks ago.


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## Pchai (Oct 6, 2020)

You should check out the collection of Tchaikovsky symphonic works conducted by Pletnev. Hamlet, Fatum, and Tempest are what I might even think are the best performances and they come neatly wrapped in one collection. Voyevode is certainly well represented as well.

https://www.amazon.com/Tchaikovsky-...ords=pletnev+francesca&qid=1610503034&sr=8-24


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

Eugene Onegin Overture


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## Pchai (Oct 6, 2020)

Tchaikovsky wrote an early opera and a late symphonic poem named Voyevoda or Voyevode (not sure if the spellings denote which is which) Anyway the overture to the opera might be what you are thinking of, which is definitely an early work. The symphonic poem, written in the last years of Tchaikovsky's life, includes his first - and hence the world's first - use of the Celesta in a major symphonic work. Although the opus number is higher, it predates the Dance of The Sugar Plum Fairy and other second act passages from the Nutcracker Ballet.


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## Pchai (Oct 6, 2020)

*Francesca Da Rimini*

Even though I think Romeo and Juliet is a perfect piece (and pretty hard to mess up) I am going with Francesca here. There are just too many intriguing aspects to it for me. As opposed to Romeo, Francesca is really hard to get completely right. I know everyone will point me to Stokowski. However, every version of that Stadium Orchestra performance that I stream has real sound limitations. Also, I am someone who likes a big fat gorgeous gong sound. It seems that many conductors, or engineers?, don't want to let the beast loose! Anyway I am going through many recordings of this piece and Muti comes close to my ideal (gong is lacking). Someone reminded me of the Houston Symphony with Eschenbach, which I used to own-maybe donated, maybe stolen. That is also very good.


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## Pchai (Oct 6, 2020)

Animal the Drummer said:


> I tend to prefer Tchaikovsky's earlier orchestral pieces (incl.the symphonies) and my vote went to "The Voyevoda" for its strong, rousing ending. On my personal priority list of Russian composers Rachmaninov is top, some way ahead of Tchaikovsky.


Tchaikovsky wrote an early opera and a late symphonic poem named Voyevoda or Voyevode (not sure if the spellings denote which is which) Anyway the overture to the opera might be what you are thinking of, which is definitely an early work. The symphonic poem, written in the last years of Tchaikovsky's life, includes his first - and hence the world's first - use of the Celesta in a major symphonic work. Although the opus number is higher, it predates the Dance of The Sugar Plum Fairy and other second act passages from the Nutcracker Ballet.


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## Pchai (Oct 6, 2020)

flamencosketches said:


> I don't know enough of them-thanks to this thread I will try to correct that ASAP.
> 
> Who has made good recordings of Hamlet, The Tempest, Voyevoda and Fatum (never even heard of these last two)...?
> 
> Tchaikovsky sure must have admired Shakespeare! I suppose all the Romantics did.


You should check out the collection of Tchaikovsky symphonic works conducted by Pletnev. Hamlet, Fatum, and Tempest are what I might even think are the best performances and they come neatly wrapped in one collection. Voyevode is certainly well represented as well.

https://www.amazon.com/Tchaikovsky-F...503034&sr=8-24


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## haziz (Sep 15, 2017)

The Voyevoda? Fatum???

You may have lead me to a couple of compositions I was not even aware existed; and he is my favorite composer! Admittedly, since I am not a fan of opera, my interest is purely in his symphonic music. Nevertheless I would think I would have been aware of them.


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

............................................


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