A Survey of Tchaikovsky Symphony Cycles

► An Index of ionarts Discographies

Continuing my discographies, this is a survey of - hopefully - every extant recorded cycle of the Tchaikovsky Symphonies. For now, I have listed them alphabetically by conductor. This is not as interesting as listing them chronologically, but it gives a quicker overview of conductors having done multiple cycles. (If anyone knows how to construct a working html/css table that I can sort by either year or name, do let me know! I'm still failing with that for my LvB Symphony Survey.) I do not, by and large, include incomplete cycles (which is to say, not all Symphonies 1-6)... but then I make a lot of exceptions, anyway. "+M" indicates the presence of the Manfred Symphony.

I'll happily grant that Tchaikovsky is not my favorite composer and that I never went through a near-obsessive phase with his symphonies as I did with Mahler, Bruckner, DSCH, Sibelius, or even Martinů. But it's still great music and I do find myself viscerally reacting to performances. It's just that I then either find them great (rarely) or outrigh boring.

I am sitting on the data for several new discographic entries under work. Ring cycles, Mahler, Nielsen, Mendelssohn, and Beethoven symphony cycles, Mozart Piano Concerto and String Quartet-cycles, among others. They take an awful lot of time to research, however, and even more time to put into html-presentable shape. And even then they are rarely complete or mistake-free. Neither will this one be, and every such post is also a plea to generously inclined readers with more information and knowledge of the subject than I have to lend a helping hand correcting my mistakes or filling data-lacunae.

I am explicitly grateful for any such pointers, hinters, and corrections and apologize for any bloomers. (Preferably on Twitter, where I'll read the comment much sooner than here, but either works!) Unlike some earlier discographies, this one does intend to be comprehensive. So I am especially grateful when I have sets that I have missed (such that only ever appeared on LP, for example) pointed out to me. I have not listened to them all, but favorites are indicated with the "ionarts choice" graphic. Ditto recommended cycles by ClassicsToday/David Hurwitz. Links to reputable reviews are included where I thought of it and could find any. With hundreds of links in this document, there are, despite my best efforts, bound to be some that are broken or misplaced; I am glad about every correction that comes my way re. those, too.

Enjoy and leave a comment in some form!


Edits Nov.6.2023: The Survey wasn't five hours hold that I had already been kindly reminded of two oversights (thanks, Decca & Danny!) Zdeněk Mácal's cycle on EXTON with the Czech Phil vand Alexander Sladkovsky's 2019 cycle w/the Tartastan NSO have been added.



(Survey begins after the break, if you didn't land on this page directly)







-->

Claudio Abbado (1984-1991) Chicago Symphony Orchestra Claudio Abbado recorded the Tchaikovsky Symphonies for Sony in Chicago. On the one hand, he commendably stripped syrup off Tchaikovsky. On the other, the cycle does sound a bit like a contractual obligation and less like a labor of love. Almost two decades earlier, he had recorded four Tchaikosvky symphonies for DG with the New Philharmonia (2), the Vienna Phil (4, 6) and the LPO (5), with which he made his name in Tchaikovsky. (They're spread around a few Eloquence releases.) The Chicago cycle is generally regarded as "good, not great" (the "Little Russian, apart, perhaps). Alas, "not great" to me, in Tchaikovsky, is essentially "not good". The MASTERS edition and Black Box also include Romeo and Juliet, 1812 Overture, March Slave, a Nutcracker Suite, the Tempest & Voyevoda. The White Box includes all that plus non-Abbado performances of Manfred, Suites 2-4 (Tilson-Thomas), the Sérénade mélancolique & Mélodie (Mehta). The 4-CD Box from the 90s presumably includes only the symphonies and spreads them across discs to save space.
Pyotr Tchaikovsky The Symphonies Sony Masters Release: 2011 6 CDs US | UK | DE	Pyotr Tchaikovsky The Symphonies +M* Sony Complete Collections Release: 2006 8 CDs US | UK | DE	Pyotr Tchaikovsky The Symphonies Sony Black Box Release: 2002 6 CDs US | UK | DE	Pyotr Tchaikovsky The Symphonies Sony Masters Release: 199? 4 CDs US | UK | DE
Maurice Abbravanel (1972-73) Utah Symphony Orchestra Maurice Abravanel's Tchaikovsky tends to get high marks for the first three symphonies and the conducting, generally, and low markes for the orchestral performance. It's been available on Vox forever and now, since Naxos purchased the Vox-catalog, on that label, too, in an "Audiophile" edition, as of 2023. (Now you can hear so-so playing in even greater detail!) Excerpts I've heard admittedly sound rather lush, liberal and exiciting. The generous set includes Manfred, Marche Slave, Overture Solenelle, 1812, Francesca da Rimini, and the Hamlet & Romeo & Julie Overture Fantasies. The 1st is split across 2 CDs. Review on ClassicsToday here, and on ClassicalNet here.
Pyotr Tchaikovsky The Symphonies +M Vox Release: 2001 5 CDs US | UK | DE	Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphony Nos.1 & 2 Naxos Release: 2023 1 CD US | UK | DE	Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphony No.3, Francesca Naxos Release: 2023 1 CD US | UK | DE	Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphony No.4, R&J Naxos Release: 2023 1 CD US | UK | DE
Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphony No.5, 1812 Naxos Release: 2023 1 CD US | UK | DE	Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphony No.6, Hamlet Naxos Release: 2023 1 CD US | UK | DE
Vladimir Ashkenazy (2004-2006) NHK Symphony Orchestra Tokyo Between 1977 and 1980, Vladimir Ashkenazy recorded the last three Tchaikovsky Symphonies and the Manfred Symphony with the (New) Philharmonia for Decca. The relatively new hand at conducting did well: They are superb recordings of all four works to this day and some of Ashkenazy's best as a conductor. Decca did not, however, bother with making the cycle complete. They appear to have been satisfied wit hthe cycle(s) on their label – Maazel’s and, just then recorded and flopping on release, Mehta’s – and in fact never bothered to produce one again, until Semyon Bychkov’s with the Czech Phil in 2019. (By then no longer an independent label, of course.) Nor are Ashkenazy’s Philharmonia Tchaikovsky recordings currently readily available, which is most peculiar. (A shame, that I expect Eloquence to help us out with.) Don’t worry, his actually-complete cycle, which merits his inclusion here, is even less available. It appeared on EXTON SACDs; the performances are with the NHK SO Tokyo, and good luck hunting down the individual CDs. Needless to say, I’ve not heard them. (There's also an EXTON 5th with Ahskenazy from 2002 from Suntory Hall, but that's with the Philharmonia again, and not part of the cycle.)
Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphony No.1 Exton Release: 2004? 1 SACD US | UK | DE	Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphony No.2 ++ Exton Release: 2005? 1 SACD US | UK | DE	Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphony No.3 Exton Release: 2006 1 SACD US | UK | DE	Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphony No.4 Exton Release: 2005 1 SACD US | UK | DE
Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphony No.5 Exton Release: 2007? 1 SACD US | UK | DE	Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphony No.6 Exton Release: 2007 1 SACD US | UK | DE	Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphony No.4-6 Decca Release: 1996 2 CD US | UK | DE	Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphony No.5 (Philharm.) Exton Release: 2002 1 SACD US | UK | DE
Leonard Bernstein (1964-1975) New York Philharmonic Leonard Bernstein recorded this set of the Tchaikovsky symphonies (plus his 1957 R&J, Hamlet, 1812, Slavonic March, FdR) with the New York Philharmonic between 1964 and 1975. If it was ever a classic, only briefly. It’s not aged well in some important spots, as Bernstein’s pulling things about, stretching and hurrying (but especially stretching) can be white hot in instances but produces motion sickness more often. And if one wishes to explore Bernstein’s personal take on Tchaikovsky in the extreme, then the wild DG remakes are better candidates to delight or exacerbate you. The non-symphonies, however, are always pretty terrific, both for Sony and DG. Two MusicWeb reviews can be found here (and here).
Pyotr Tchaikovsky The Symphonies et al. Sony Masters Release: 2002 5 CDs US | UK | DE	Pyotr Tchaikovsky The Symphonies et al. Columbia Legends Release: 2002 5 CDs US | UK | DE		Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphonies 4-6 etc. DG Release: 2007 4 CDs US | UK | DE
Semyon Bychkov (2016-2019) Czech Philharmonic Bychkov’s cycle of the Tchaikovsky Symphonies has been one of the few larger mainstream classical music label projects of the last few years and, with some self-importance, dubbed “the Tchaikovsky Project”. Edward Seckerson, in his Gramophone review, captured the gist of these performances well by suggesting that anyone looking for histrionics and moment-to-moment highlights and constant musical occasions would like be disappointed because Bychkov rather takes the long view. Bychkov doesn’t explode until the absolute climax is reached, but when he does, you’ll know it. (If that sounds sexual, that’s on you. Or maybe Tchaikovsky.) In my review (on the Forbes Best-of-2017 list) of the Manfred Symphony, which I loved (easily one of the best modern recordings), I wrote that Bychkov brings a good amount of heft to this symphonic tone poem, in combination with superb (!) recorded and orchestral (!) sound but also surprising orchestral clarity and an evocative sense of slow power. But also that it lacked, for better or worse or neither, “fevered passion”. If I plan to listen intently to Tchaikovsky, any of these performances will do, because the glorious beauty does the trick. (As do the three piano concertos with Kirill Gerstein.) It’s not who I could stand listening to all six in a row, although I wouldn’t recommend that in any case. Richard Fairman's Review for the FT can be found here; Andrew Clements for the Guardian was not as enthused but doesn't seem to have to say much about it. Highly recommended - but as a supplemental set!
Pyotr Tchaikovsky The Symphonies+M et al. Decca Release: 2019 7 CDs US | UK | DE
Oleg Caetani (2007/2008) Melbourne Symphony Orchestra A down-under set from Kondrashin- & Nadia Boulanger-student Oleg Caetani (son of the great Igor Markevitch) who was the MSO's Chief Conductor from 2005 to 2009. Taped live in concert. Includes Manfred. I hadn’t known them from Adam, before putting together this survey, but they turn out to have been well-reviewed, indeed. By and large, it’s considered rough-hewn, swift, and exciting. Mark Pullinger called “Caetani’s approach [to No.1] refreshing, akin to having a snowball shoved down your neck!” He loves his Manfred (“[crackling] with drama without pushing forward with undue haste”). And writing for the FT, Andrew Clark gave it a full five stars, and an emphatic recommendation as “surprisingly stylish performances, full of adrenalin and purpose… A bargain at less than £30, but a treasure at any price.” That’s good, because used copies go for an excess of $300, these days. Another review from MusicWeb here.
Pyotr Tchaikovsky The Symphonies +M ABC Classics / MSO Live Release: 2008 6 CDs US | UK | DE	Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphonies 1-3 ABC Classics / MSO Live Release: 2008 2 CDs UK | DE	Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphony No.6, Manfred ABC Classics / MSO Live Release: 2008 2 CDs US | UK | DE
Antal Doráti (2007) London Symphony Orchestra Antal Doráti’s set with the London Symphony Orchestra on Mercury Living Presence was their contribution to the then-new Tchaikovskian School of Unsentimentality trend that has included some of the most – ironically? – exciting Tchaikovsky sets out there, namely Markevitch’s and, in his way, Mravinsky’s. His 1812 Overture was, of course, a legendary sonic spectacle of the LP days. It’s highly regarded to this day and being out-of-print probably doesn’t hurt that status. The sound is hardly HiFi. (The Minnesota SO contributes Francesca da Rimini, Marche Slave, Eugene Onegin Waltz & Polonaise.)
Pyotr Tchaikovsky The Symphonies Mercury / Decca Release: 2004 5 CDs US | UK | DE
Vladimir Fedosseyev I (1981-1985) Tchaikovsky [Grand] Symphony Orchestra (Great Radio Symphony Orchestra of the USSR) In your search for an ‘authentic’ Russian set of Tchaikovsky symphonies, you might come across Vladimir Fedoseyev. But which one? He recorded three-plus cycles, all with the orchestra that has finally come to be known simply as the “Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra” but had caused confusion for decades, being alternately known, correctly, semi-correctly, westernized etc. as the “Orchestra of the All-Union Radio Committee”, “All-Union Radio Symphony Orchestra”, “Bolshoi Symphony Orchestra” (!), “Grand Symphony Orchestra of All-Union Radio and Television”, “Symphony Orchestra of Central Television and All-Union Radio”, “The Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra”, the “Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra of Moscow Radio”, the “USSR State Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra”, the “USSR State Radio Symphony Orchestra”, the “USSR All-Union National Radio and Central Television Symphony Orchestra”, and, my favorite, the “Grand Symphony of All-Union National Radio Service and Central Television Networks”. Their first cycle was recorded for Melodiya and issued in the West on EuroDisc (now Sony). It also seems to have been released by Olympia and Moscow Studio Archives, at one point. To the extent that any Brilliant-Tchaikovsky boxes contain Fedoseyev, it’s the 1st and 3rd from this cycle.
Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphonies 1-6 EuroDisc Release: 1989 6 CDs US | UK | DE	Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphonies 1-6 Melodiya Release: ?/2020 NA Streaming
Vladimir Fedosseyev II (1988/89, 1988-2009) Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra For its 25th anniversary in 1988/89, the orchestra performed all the Tchaikovsky Symphonies (and then some) again. Recordings of these live concerts at the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatoire were eventually released on the sketchy Relief label on individual discs and coupled with some intriguing Tchaikovskiana. (Reviews of No.1, No.3, No.4 on ClassicsToday, of No.5 and No.6 on MusicWeb, but I’ve also read absolute raves about the Fifth.) These individual discs can be tracked down, but it takes a bit of effort and expense. They include, as fillers, Snow Maiden excerpts, Sleeping Beauty Suite, Hamlet, FdR, Tempest, the Overture & Dances from Voevoda, and a Duet from Tchaikovsky’s unfinished Romeo & Juliet opera [!]. To make things a little more complicated, Relief has since issued the six symphonies with Fedoseyev and that orchestra in a box. First, it gave the wrong dates for the early symphonies, which would suggest they are the old Melodiya recordings (they aren’t). And for the last three symphonies, they took new live recordings from 2009, made on tour in Vienna. It still includes the extras minus the Sleeping Beauty Suite but plus the Overtures from Pique Dame and Iolanta.
Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphony 1, Snow Maiden Relief Release: 1989 1 CD US | UK | DE	Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphony 2, Sl.Beauty Relief Release: 1999 1 CD US | UK | DE	Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphony 3, Hamlet Relief Release: 1999 1 CD US | UK | DE	Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphony 4, FdR Relief Release: 1999 1 CD US | UK | DE
Pyotr Tchaikovsky Manfred, Tempest Relief Release: 1989 1 CD US | UK | DE	Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphony 5, R&J Duet, Pique Dame Excpts. Relief Release: 1999 Relief 1 CD US | UK | DE	Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphony 6, Voevoda Relief Release: 1999 1 CD US | UK | DE	Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphonies 1-6 +M et al. Release: 2014 Relief 6 CDs US | UK | DE
Vladimir Fedoseyev DVD (III) (1991) Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra “Hailed by the press as the ‘definitive video production of Tchaikovsky’s music’, The Tchaikovsky Cycle [because that’s what the set is humbly called; emphasis presumably on “the”] features an exceptional concert series, recorded live at the Alte Oper Frankfurt [in 1991].” So says the blurb on the box. It’s worth noting that at the time, this was also the only such set on the video format, so there’s some truth in advertising here. It’s certainly a generous set, including not only the symphonies (though not Manfred!) but also the concertos: All three piano concertos with Mikhail Pletnev (!), the Rococo Variations with Antonia Meneses, and the Violin Concerto with Viktor Tretyakov. Plus excerpts from Onegin and Swan Lake, FdR, the Festival Overture, the F major Overture, and the String Serenade op.48. It’s also available on individual DVDs.
Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphonies 1-6 et al. Arthaus Musik Release: 2014 6 DVDs US | UK | DE	Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphonies 1-6 et al. Arthaus Musik Release: 2006 6 DVDs US | UK | DE
Valery Gergiev (2010/11) London Symphony Orchestra & Mariinsky Orchestra Is there a Tchaikovsky cycle by Valery Gergiev, former darling and current bogeyman of the classical music scene? Yes and no. There isn’t a single set and not one cycle with one orchestra. But with the two orchestras that he led in the 2010s – the LSO and of course his baby, the Mariinsky – he recorded all six symphonies in the space of a year… and although issued on two labels (LSO Live and Mariinsky Live, respectively), they were really brother-sister labels and distributed by the same company. The presence of the London recordings was presumably the reason the first three symphonies of the Paris/Mariinsky cycle in 2010 were not issued in the first place. That’s good enough for me to consider this a proper Tchaikovsky cycle, which could then be supplemented with the Viennese late trilogy of symphonies from 1998/2002/2004 on Philips. Additionally, there's an earlier "Kirov" 6th on Decca, as well. (Online, you can find the all-Mariinsky cycle with Gergiev from Paris with ease, on Medici or YouTube.)
Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphonies 1-3 London Symphony Orchestra LSO Live Release: 2012 2 SACDs US | UK | DE	Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphonies Nos.4 & 5 Mariinsky Orch Mariinsky Release: 2018 2 CDs US | UK | DE	Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphony No.6 Mariinsky Orch Mariinsky Release: 2018 1 CD US | UK | DE	Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphonies 4-6 Vienna Phil Philips Release: 2012 3 CDs US | UK | DE
Bernard Haitink (1974-1979) Concertgebouw Orchestra Haitink’s Tchaikovsky cycle came and went, going somewhat unappreciated and it’s out of print now. Analogous to Bychkov, it might be said that its downfall is a lack of hysterics, of hooting every hoot and tooting every toot… that it simply sounds glorious and is played well. Beauty over anguish. Perhaps that’s why it’s only twice been released as a complete set on CD. Nowadays, it’s equally unavailable or inconveniently available in several of the big Haitink-boxes “Haitink, The Symphony Edition” and “Concertgebouworkest: Bernard Haitink (Complete Studio Recordings)”. It’s one of Hurwitz’s favorite cycles, as he elaborates on the HurwitzTube. John Steane, in Gramophone, finds Haitink too respectful in the smaller works and “temperate, considered and patient, living mostly at a fair distance from the edge, with rarely a hint of exaggeration or overemphasis” in the symphonies. He continues to praise with faint damnation: “If you can (or don't need to) banish memories of a more mobile, vividly characterful and cathartic school of Tchaikovsky conducting, Haitink's grand and dignified manner is often immensely stirring and satisfying.” As someone who reacts allergically to too much sweetness in music, and in Tchaikovsky in particular, it’s decidedly not my kind of Tchaikovsky. And to the extent I have any itch in that direction, Bychkov does the scratching for me. But there’s admittedly objectively something awesome about it. The boxes include the Slavonic March, Francesca, the Capriccio italien, "1812", The Storm, and R&J, which are mostly earlier recordings from the 60s and early 70s. Edit: Wait. Of course Decca-Japan/Tower has a set in print. Good news: It contains even the digital re-makes of Nos.4 and 6. It doesn't split the 5th - but it splits the remake of the 4th.
Pyotr Tchaikovsky The Symphonies +M Philips Release: 1994 6 CDs US | UK | DE	Pyotr Tchaikovsky The Symphonies +M Decca Collector's Ed. Release: 2013 6 CDs US | UK | DE	Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphonies 1-3 Philips Release: 1989 2 CDs US | UK | DE	Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphonies 4-6 Philips Release: 1989 2 CDs US | UK | DE
Taijiro Iimori (2011/12) Tokyo City Philharmonic Orchestra Taijiro Iimori, who passed away in August of this year (2023), was one of the leading Japanese conductors and particularly active as a Wagnerian – almost natural, for a one-time a musical assistant at the Bayreuth Festival. He headed various orchestras, including the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra in the 70s, the Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra in the 90s, Kansai Philharmonic Orchestra in the 00s, the New National Theater Tokyo in the 10s, the Sendai Philharmonic from 2018 until his passing, and between 1997 and 2012 the Tokyo City Philharmonic Orchestra (after which he became their honorary conductor laureate). It was in the last season of his tenure in Tokyo that he recorded this cycle from live performances.
Pyotr Tchaikovsky The Symphonies Fontec Release: 2012 5 CDs US | UK | DE | JP
Mariss Jansons (1984-86) Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra Mariss Jansons’ Tchaikovsky cycle on Chandos with the then considered-provincial Oslo Philharmonic put both him (the former associate conductor of the Leningrad Philharmonic alongside Yevgeny Mravinsky) and the orchestra on the map. They’re “juicy, lyrical, and sumptuous readings in Chandos’ over-egged glorious sound, still fabulous and more than just competitive to this day” (Ten Recordings to Remember Mariss Jansons By); around a terrific Fifth, they had been staple recommendations and Penguin-Guide favorites for decades. “Tight ensemble [work], swift tempos, and a generally passionate response to this very passionate music still shine through.” (Hurwitz) The convenient, reasonably priced set that Chandos re-issued only makes it more attractive, although as much goes for plenty of other recommendable sets. My personal preference in Tchaikovsky Symphonies runs more along leaner lines. Includes the Manfred and Capriccio italien.
Pyotr Tchaikovsky The Symphonies +M Chandos Release: 2006 6 CDs US | UK | DE	Pyotr Tchaikovsky The Symphonies +M Chandos Release: 1988 7 CDs US | UK | DE
Neeme Järvi (2002-2005) Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra Between 2002 and 2005, Neeme Järvi recorded the Tchaikovsky symphonies with the Gothenburg Symphony for BIS, giving the Swedish label an entry with this staple. Quite late, but during his time recording for Chandos, the label already had the Jansons cycle in their catalog and when N.J. started out at BIS in the 80s, they presumably had more pressing concerns than adding to the most standard of repertoire. (And while recording for Melodiya in the 60s and 70s, he only got to do the Violin Concerto.) A review of this set (on AllMusic) starts out with: “For turning out reliable recordings of the standard repertoire, it's hard to beat Neeme Järvi and the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra.” Sounds like instant damnation with faint praise, given the crowded field. I don’t have these versions, but the Naxos Music Library does. So, to get an idea of these performances, I dipped my ears, starting with Symphony No.3. Not only is this disc emblematic of the whole set in giving the inclined explorer lots of extra sonic goodies (excerpts from the opera (!) The Voyevoda, the incidental music for Aleksandr Ostrovsky’s dramatic chronicle Dmitri the Pretender and Vassily Shuisky, the Serenade for Nikolai Rubinstein’s Name Day (three minutes of Tchaikovsky you’ll likely never have heard of) and key excerpts from Eugene Onegin on this disc alone!), it also features a crackling, fiercely entertaining performance of the Third. One that’s lean and driven where Tchaikovsky ambles – Järvi Sr. struts en pointe through the first movement – and lavish where Tchaikovsky indulges us in sheer beauty. Light understatement, sharply delineated textures, and crystalline playing may not do the trick in every symphony or for every listener, and listening to some of the other symphonies has not always produced the same elation, though always admiration for certain details and fine touches. The general approach works for me when I have to listen to Tchaikovsky but it also doesn’t compel me to listen to Tchaik. The cycle includes, apart from the additions mentioned above: FdR, Capriccio italien the Serenade for Strings, The Storm, a student-time Overture in F, the Festival Overture on the Danish national hymn, the Elegy in Memory of I.V. Samarin, excerpts from the symphonic ballet The Voyevoda, R&J, and The Snow Maiden – but no Manfred. Gramophone reviews of Nos. 2 (Greenfield), 3 (Seckerson). MusicWeb has the set reviewed and several of the individual releases. ClassicsToday has reviews of Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 available. If you skip over to Chandos, you can even add the reconstructed Seventh Symphony to the lot (arr. Semyon Bogatyrev), performed with the LPO. The individual BIS releases (1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6) came on SACDs, the box (replete with all the original liner notes!) on regular CDs.
Pyotr Tchaikovsky The Symphonies et al. BIS Release: 2010 6 CDs US | UK | DE
Paavo Järvi (2019-2021) Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich Like father, like son: Paavo has been recording a wild amount of repertoire – with no (say, Kleiberesque) compunctions about duplicating repertoire his father (the most prolific living conductor in the field of recordings) has already covered. Same with Tchaikovsky, where Alpha has put out a cycle of live performances of the six Tchaikovsky Symphonies. Reviews are all over the place, so far, and it’s hard to distinguish between the gushers and the reflexively jaded. Paavo Järvi himself has been quoted (in a Gramophone interview [11/20]) as “preferring the ‘bad taste’ of Bernstein’s Tchaikovsky to the ‘discipline’ of Mravinsky’s”. What would this mean, though? Lavish, lingering excess over furiously driven interpretations? Most reviews note non-interference, a less histrionic approach, and reasonably bracing tempos. In the same magazine, Mark Pullinger suggests the Fifth is a “dry-eyed, disciplined account”. Hardly Bernsteinian concepts. Spot-checking (esp. 1, 3, 6), I’ve found no extremes, good or bad, to stick out. The set includes: FdR, R&J, Capriccio italien, Waltz & Polonaise from Eugene Onegin, Festival Coronation March, but no Manfred.
Pyotr Tchaikovsky The Symphonies et al. Alpha Release: 2010 5 CDs US | UK | DE
Philippe Jordan (2017/2018) Paris Opera Orchestra I cannot possibly think of a more boring proposition than watching Tchaikovsky’s six symphonies on a screen with Philippe Jordan conducting the Paris Opera Orchestra. Here’s a fawning MusicWeb review, though, which is the only one I could find. You’re on your own, I’m afraid.
Pyotr Tchaikovsky The Symphonies Arthaus Musik Release: 2019 3 DVDs US | UK | DE	Pyotr Tchaikovsky The Symphonies Arthaus Musik Release: 2019 3? Blu-rays US | UK | DE
Vladimir Jurowski (2008*-2016) London Philharmonic Orchestra Another well-reputed London set: Vladimir Jurowski and "his" (then, anyway; he’s their Conductor Emeritus since September 2021) London Philharmonic in a set that includes Manfred (*from 2004) as well as FdR and the Serenade for Strings. Recorded live at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall over the course of eight of his 14 years’ long tenure as their Principal Condcutor. Here’s a ClassicalNet review of Nos. 4 & 5 here and Mark Pullinger’s review of the set for Gramophone here. Now if you think that the English pulling for the English isn’t anything new nor particularly swaying, here’s ClassicsToday’s David Hurwitz talking about it on the HurwitzTube. (It’s a top-3 cycle for him and the modern cycle most esteemed by him.) And a ClassicsToday review of Nos. 1 & 6 here. The cycle is a bit pricey, perhaps because it’s softly out of print. In fact, it’s probably cheaper in some markets to get the five individual releases (two are double discs), which is why I list them below. (The fillers are only part of the box set, though.)
Pyotr Tchaikovsky The Symphonies + M et al. London Phil Release: 2017 7 CDs US | UK | DE		Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphonies Nos. 1 & 6 London Phil Release: 2009 2 CDs US | UK | DE	Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphonies Nos. 2 & 3 London Phil Release: 2018 1 CD US | UK | DE
		Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphonies 4 & 5 London Phil Release: 2012 2 CDs US | UK | DE	Pyotr Tchaikovsky Manfred London Phil Release: 2006 1 CD US | UK | DE
Herbert von Karajan (1964*/1975-1979) Berlin Philharmonic Herbert von Karajan was a great Tchaikovsky-conductor and even detractors could never really argue otherwise. A certain preponderance of tonal beauty and gorgeous strings does no harm to his music; beauty here is no downside, especially as Karajan’s beauty wasn’t one of the syrupy but driven kind. He recorded the last three symphonies at least five times but the first three (beautifully!) only once, as part of a cycle in the mid/late 1970s. The recordings of the ‘mature’ symphonies that would seem to belong to it are from 1975 (No.5) and 1976 (Nos.4 & 6). (Also available on a DG/Unitel DVD.) But for the “Karajan-conducts-Tchaikovsky” box in the "Collectors Edition", DG opted to include the 1960s recordings of the latter three, instead. Gramophone commented: “…and they were right to do so”. Despite (or because) of the sound being quite different on the 60s set (recorded in the Jesus-Christus Kirche) and the 70s DG set recorded in the Philharmonie. The European Eloquence box, however, does not. Neither set splits the 5th, and both include a lot of other worthwhile Karajan-Tchaikovsky: Rostropovich’s Roccoco Variations, Ferras’ Violin Concerto, and other assorted Suites and orchestral works which Karajan was really good at. Only the Piano Concerto with Richter is not widely considered to have been as successful as the ingredients would suggest. The “Karajan Symphony Edition” (the series of white boxes) als uses the complete 70s cycle, as does the edition of the two “2 CD” releases and the latest set that comes with the Blu-ray pure audio. All three continue the asinine practice of splitting the 5th and they include (only) the 60s Slavonic March and Capriccio italien. If you want the 1975 Fifth unsplit, you have to spring for the single Galleria issue. The late triptych also exists with the Philharmonia (1950s, EMI), the Berlin Phil from the 60s on DG, the Berlin Phil from 1971 (on EMI / Warner; the 5th is split - except for the 1993 issue!), and the Vienna Phil from the 80s on DG (No.4, No.5, No.6; also on DVD from Sony). The 60s demi-cycle can be found on the “Me-Me-Me” (“Karajan: The Collection) edition set. The 5th is split. The 6th, one of his great recordings by many an account, is available singly. There's also a 1960 Berlin remake of the 4th in stereo from the EMI days (included here), a postwar EMI Vienna Phil 6th from the 40s, and a DG "Dokumente" 1939 release of the 6th from Berlin. That'll be all. I think. (Although there are probably a few live-from-Japan releases, I've overlooked. King International would know.
Pyotr Tchaikovsky The Symphonies (70s) Berlin Phil Release: 2019 4 CDs, 1 Blu-ray US | UK | DE	Pyotr Tchaikovsky The Symphonies (70s) Berlin Phil Release: 2008 4 CDs US | UK | DE	Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphonies 1-3 + Berlin Phil Release: 2002 2 CDs US | UK | DE	Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphonies 4-6 (70s) Berlin Phil Release: 1997ff 2 CDs US | UK | DE
Pyotr Tchaikovsky The Symphonies ++ 70s/60s Berlin Phil Collector's Edition Release: 2001 8 CDs US | UK | DE	Pyotr Tchaikovsky The Symphonies ++ 70s Berlin Phil Eloquence Europe Release: 2011 7CDs US | UK | DE	Pyotr Tchaikovsky The Symphonies (70s?) Berlin Phil H.v.Karajan Collection Release: 1990 4 CDs US | UK | DE	Pyotr Tchaikovsky The Symphonies (70s) Berlin Phil DG Japan Release: 2017 3 single layer SACDs US | UK | DE
Daejin Kim (2013) Suwon Philharmonic Orchestra This will be a short entry: I know nothing about Daejin Kim’s Tchaikovsky cycle, apart from it being out of print and (thanks Todd!) having been recorded between February and November 2013 at the Concert Hall of the Seoul Art Center and that the concerts started at 8PM, sharp. So at least they weren't matinees!! (I have his Sibelius cycle, not that that’s relevant.) Capriccio italiens, no Manfred. If anyone knows more about this, contact me on Twitter or the like.
Pyotr Tchaikovsky The Symphonies Sony Korea Release: 2015 5 CDs UK | DE
Dmitri Kitajenko (2009-2012) Gürzenich Orchestra Cologne Dmitri (Dmitrij) Kitajenko (Kitayenko)’s generously stuffed Cologne cycle includes not just Manfred but also the Bogatyrev-performing version of the abandoned E-flat Symphony (“No.7”), which the composer turned into Piano Concerto No.3. That, incidentally, is also included (w/Lilya Zilberstein), for an interesting comparison. The set further features the Variations on a Rococo Theme (w/Leonard Elschenbroich), the Andante cantabile, Sleeping Beauty Suite, Capriccio italien, and Snow Maiden excerpts. The cycle is available as a box of 8 CDs or as 8 individual SACDs. I have a few of those; by and large, it strikes me as a broad, slow take of Tchaikovsky (see Bychkov) that I do not favor, even if exciting moments await. Reviews are all enthusiastic about the sound and mixed about the interpretations, but tend to fall down on the same side as this excerpt from Gramophone (Andrew Achenbach, comparing Kitajenko to a London darling): “Dmitri Kitaenko secures a cultured response from the Cologne orchestra (and sound-wise the SACD layer yields impressive amplitude and warmth) but his big-boned, plushly upholstered account seldom sparks into inspirational life like that of his rival.” (The rival in question is Jurowski.) On the other hand, some patient listeners tend to rave about individual releases, especially the Manfred Symphony. I can’t say that I get it, though.
Pyotr Tchaikovsky The Symphonies 1-7 + M Oehms Release: 2015 8 CDs US | UK | DE
Ken-Ichiro Kobayashi I (1993-95) Japan Philharmonic Orchestra Ken'ichiro Kobayashi loves Tchaikovsky. I can say this with some certainty because I am about to present you the first of four (!) Tchaikovsky cycles with him – and I’m pretty sure I’m missing at least one and I am not counting another one (from Arnhem/Het Gelders Orkest), where the first two symphonies are missing. Kobayashi was the principal conductor (1988–90), chief conductor (1990–94, 1997–2004), music director (2004–07), and conductor laureate (since 2010) of the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra. (What happened between 1994 and 1997? It’s an international mystery!) It’s the orchestra with which he has done his first (first in this survey, anyway) live cycle – and his last. (I might be missing one from between or before.) This one was recorded between 1993 and 1995 at Santory Hall.
Pyotr Tchaikovsky The Symphonies Exton/Canyon Release: 1996 6 CDs US | UK | DE | JP
Ken-Ichiro Kobayashi II (2000/2001, 2002) Czech Philharmonic Ken'ichiro Kobayashi’s (presumed) second cycle came from the Rudolphinum in Prague, recorded with the Czech Philharmonic. (Who have, of course, most recently, recorded this cycle – and then some – with Semyon Bychkov, listed above.) It was released not on Hybrid-SACDs but as DSD recordings on HDCDs (“High-Density CDs”, playable by regular red-book players. See Mravinsky for a discussion on various forms of Japanese CDs.) Includes Manfred (from 2002) and Kobayashi's own 10-movement Passacaglia.
Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphony No.1 Exton Release: 2001 1 HDCD US | UK | DE | JP	Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphony No.2 Exton Release: 2001 1 HDCD US | UK | DE | JP	Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphony No.3 Exton Release: 2001 1 HDCD US | UK | DE | JP	Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphony No.4 Exton Release: 2014 1 SACD US | UK | DE | JP
Pyotr Tchaikovsky Manfred Symphony Exton Release: 2004 1 HDCD US | UK | DE | JP	Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphony No.5, Marche Exton Release: 2012 1 HDCD US | UK | DE | JP	Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphony No.6 Exton Release: 2001 1 HDCD US | UK | DE | JP
Ken-Ichiro Kobayashi incomplete (~2005?) Arnhem Philharmonic Orchestra For over-completeness’ sake, here is Ken'ichiro Kobayashi’s incomplete Tchaikovsky Cycle with the Het Gelders Orkest aka Arnhem Philharmonic Orchestra which existed until 2019 when it was merged with the Netherlands Symphony Orchestra (Orkest van het Oosten in Enschede aka HET Symfonieorkest) to form Phion (Orkest van Gelderland & Overijssel).
Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphony No.3 Exton Release: 2014 1 SACD US | UK | DE | JP	Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphony No.4 Exton Release: 2014 1 SACD US | UK | DE | JP	Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphony No.5, Nutcracker St. Exton Release: 2014 1 SACD US | UK | DE | JP	Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphony No.6 Exton Release: 2014 1 SACD US | UK | DE | JP
Ken-Ichiro Kobayashi III (2013/2014) London Philharmonic Orchestra How much do you suppose it had cost, to rent the London Philharmonic Orchestra to record a whole Tchaikovsky Symphony Cycle at Abbey Road? The good people at Rohm Music appear to have footed the bill for this studio cycle – Kobayashi’s second complete one, after the ~2005 Arnhem cycle was left unfinished. It includes Manfred, 1812, the Serenade, the Capriccio, the Marche Slave and R&J.
Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphony No.1, 1812 Exton Release: 2014 1 SACD US | UK | DE | JP	Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphony No.2, Serenade Exton Release: 2014 1 SACD US | UK | DE | JP	Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphony No.3 Exton Release: 2014 1 SACD US | UK | DE | JP	Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphony No.4, Capriccio Exton Release: 2014 1 SACD US | UK | DE | JP
Pyotr Tchaikovsky Manfred Symphony Exton Release: 2014 1 SACD US | UK | DE | JP	Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphony No.5, Marche Slave Exton Release: 2014 1 SACD US | UK | DE | JP	Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphony No.6 Exton Release: 2014 1 SACD US | UK | DE | JP
Ken-Ichiro Kobayashi IV (2021) Japan Philharmonic Orchestra And we have reached Maestro Kobayashi’s latest, if surely not last, Tchaikovsky cycle. This one live from Suntory Hall (and the Tokyo Metropolitan Theater for 3 & 6?), back with the Japan Philharmonic. On two 2-CD sets (not SACDs, apparently).
Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphony Nos.1 & 4 Exton Release: 2021 2 CDs US | UK | DE | JP	Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphony Nos. 2 & 5 Exton Release: 2021 2 CDs US | UK | DE | JP	Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphony Nos. 3 & 6 Exton Release: 2021 2 CDs US | UK | DE | JP
Julian Kovatchev (1990s?) Sofia Festival Orchestra Look what I found! A Tchaikovsky Symphony Cycle from early/mid-90s (?) Bulgaria. It is hard to tell if the Amazon links link to the right place; if the "Global" link gets you to Marriner, try the country-specific ones. He also appears to have extras (R&J, Francesca, Nutcracker Suite, Tempest, Capriccio), which are apparently part of the set. If you are the person who has that set, tell me all about it!
Pyotr Tchaikovsky The Symphonies Real Sound Release: 1996? 6 CDs US | UK | DE | JP
Alexander Lazarev (2006-2008?) Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo Alexander Lazarev was an unexpected surprise, when he popped up in my research as having recorded a cycle (and then some) of Tchaikovsky. The complete one with the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra Tokyo for Exton on Hybrid SACDs; live recordings made during a number of concerts between 2006 and 2008 (I think). As former chief conductor (and artistic director) of the Bolshoi, he does, one presumes, bring class-A Tchaikovsky credentials. Boni: R&J, Hamlet, Capriccio, Tempest.
Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphony No.1, R&J Exton Release: 2008 1 SACD US | UK | DE | JP	Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphonie No.2, Hamlet Exton Release: 2007 1 SACD US | UK | DE | JP	Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphony No.3 Exton Release: 2006 1 SACD US | UK | DE | JP	Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphony No.4 Exton Release: 2008? 1 SACD US | UK | DE | JP
Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphony No.5 Exton Release: 2006 1 SACD US | UK | DE | JP	Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphonie No.6 Exton Release: 2008? 1 SACD US | UK | DE | JP
Andrew Litton (1988-1991) Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra Praised when it came out, long since forgotten. Between 1988 and 1991, a baby-faced Andrew Litton recorded the seven Tchaikovsky Symphonies with the Bournemouth SO at Wessex Hall, Poole Arts Centre, Dorset. The Serenade, the Capriccio, the Eugene Onegin Polonaise, The Tempest, and R&J. The set has received warm reviews from ClassicsToday (8/9) and Gramophone (“these Tchaikovsky performances would be highly recommendable if they cost twice as much, while the recordings – realistically set back in a concert hall acoustic – are superb, full-bodied, and wide ranging and brilliant. […] Even if you have much of this repertoire already, this set remains very enticing.”), the Penguin Guide (probably no surprise here), while other comments have suggested that at best Litton gives us a slightly aloof if not pedestrian Tchaikovsky.
Pyotr Tchaikovsky The Symphonies + M Virgin Release: 2001 6 CDs US | UK | DE | JP
Lorin Maazel (1963-64) Vienna Philharmonic Maazel’s Tchaikovsky with the Vienna Philharmonic between 1963-64 was the first such cycle on Decca and the first such cycle with the Vienna Philharmonic – still recorded at the fabled Sophiensaal – and everyone seemed quite content with it… until it went away and was halfway forgotten. Reviews then as today were on the mixed side. Four discs, no Manfred, split Fourth.
Pyotr Tchaikovsky The Symphonies Decca Release: 1991 4 CDs US | UK | DE | JP
Zdeněk Mácal (2005-2008?) Czech Philharmonic As was kindly pointed out to me, Zdeněk Mácal (who just passed away, on October 25th, 2023) has recorded a Tchaikovsky Cycle with the Czech Philharmonic, making it that orchestra’s third such cycle (see also Kobayashi II and Bychkov). The recordings (with the option for SACD multichannel playback) are taken from live concerts with patching sessions at the Rudolfinum, sometime between (or around) 2005 and 2008. And that’s all I know about them. Manfred is part of the cycle.
Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphony No.1 Exton Release: 200? 1 SACD US | UK | DE | JP	Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphony No.2 Exton Release: 2005 1 SACD US | UK | DE | JP	Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphony No.3 Exton Release: 200? 1 SACD US | UK | DE | JP	Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphony No.4 Exton Release: 2008 1 SACD US | UK | DE | JP
Pyotr Tchaikovsky Manfred Symphony Exton Release: 200? 1 SACD US | UK | DE | JP	Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphony No.5 Exton Release: 200? 1 SACD US | UK | DE | JP	Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphony No.6 Exton Release: 200? 1 SACD US | UK | DE | JP
Neville Marriner (1992) Academy of St. Martin in the Fields When they came out, Marriner’s recordings of the Tchaikovsky symphonies (not necessarily the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields’ most natural wheelhouse) were received very sympathetically. John Steane wrote about his Manfred in Gramophone: “Marriner gives us the unexpurgated, unadorned notes, beautifully balanced (I can't remember hearing so many of them so often) with respectfully chosen tempos, mostly close to the metronome marks, and a spruce, tempered orchestral sound. An agile, aerial Scherzo is just one reminder of the Academy’s past triumphs.” Edward Greenfield, in the same magazine, thought that the “Marriner version [of the Pathetique], very beautifully played with not a hint of sentimentality, earns a recommendation both for the quality of sound—the finest of any here—which is full, clear and atmospheric and—more surprisingly—for the coupling. In the 1812 [Overture] the members of the Academy, trained on quite different repertory, let their hair down in playing that is both crisp and alert, obviously enjoying their outing into this pop repertory. Marriner for much of the time manages to give the illusion in his clean, sympathetic approach that this is prime Tchaikovsky, and though there have been more rip-roaring accounts of the close, none has been better played. The symphony brings a refined performance, too, and many will find it most sympathetic that Marriner keeps Tchaikovsky’s big melodies flowing well.” These descriptions reflect the virtues that Marriner brought to whichever orchestra he led or whatever work he performed: Playing that would be light and flexible, agile rather than probing. Even in romantic repertoire, the core qualities that distinguished Marriner’s and the Academy’s music-making in the 50s and 60s are still in place in the 90s. This is not a cycle that will come immediately to anyone’s mind when dreaming about Tchaikovsky cycles – but it might be a good foil in a larger collection.
Pyotr Tchaikovsky The Symphonies Capriccio Release: 1999 5 CDs US | UK | DE | JP
Igor Markevitch (1962-67) London Symphony Orchestra I had long been aware of Markevitch’s Tchaikovsky lurking about in the bins at Tower Records, where their fate on two Philips Twofers made them inherently less attractive than a nice little box. Nor was the splitting of symphonies particularly welcome. If it didn’t merit a better re-issue, so my subconscious whispered into my cranial opinion-center, it can’t be that good. The fact that it got re-issued on the short-lived but well curated Newton Classics label piqued my interest, but just not enough. It wasn’t until more than a decade later that I picked up the first of the two beautiful “Complete Tchaikovsky Orchestral Works” box that Philips had issued in 1997, the core of which was Markevitch’s symphony cycle. (And again the Fifth Symphony is split, despite plenty of space to shuffle things around on 8 CDs, goshdarnit.) Expecting little, as I always do in Tchaikovsky, I was blown away. No lingering! Such natural, unhurried yet swift and perfectly compelling forward drive. Zero syrup. Plenty emotion. No grimacing smiles, no curtsies. Just a masculine handshake and getting down to the business of telling an unflinching tale. It’s not exactly Mravinsky’s Tchaikovsky-as-Shostakovich, it’s not quite New Objectivity. It’s not too much of anything and yet not at all a least-common-denominator non-interpretative blandness. Perhaps not giving in to the obvious temptations is more interpretation than exaggerating them, in Tchaikovsky. Anyway, as a complete set, it’s the one I love the most. I have since found out that I’m hardly alone in this opinion. As to Markevitch's fine Manfred: It isn't included in the "Symphony" boxes (or among the Twofers). It is, however, included in the aforementioned Philips Tchaikovsky box and (of course) in the Markevitch: The Philps Legacy box. That box (oop, already) also manages not to split the 5th. It is also included in the TowerRecords JP box, but uncharacteristically, they, too split the Fifth. If you want the unsplit Markevitch 5th, you could try to find the "Concert Classics" or "Klassik für Millionen" single disc releases, both coupled with Francesca. It is, outside the big box, the only way I know of.
Pyotr Tchaikovsky The Symphonies Philips Release: 1990 4 CDs US | UK | DE | JP	Pyotr Tchaikovsky The Symphonies Newton Classics Release: 2011 4 CDs US | UK | DE | JP	Pyotr Tchaikovsky Orchestral Works Vol.1 Philips Release: 1997 8 CDs US | UK | DE | JP	Igor Markevitch The Philips Legacy Eloquence Decca Release: 2021 26 CDs US | UK | DE | JP
Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphonies 1-3 Philips Release: 1999 2 CDs US | UK | DE | JP	Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphonies 4-6 Philips Release: 1993 2 CDs US | UK | DE | JP
Kurt Masur (1987-1991) Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra Kurt Masur has several single Tchaikovsky symphonies floating about on various labels with different orchestras, but he also made a complete cycle with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra. It has been available, partly or wholly, on every imaginable Teldec/Warner sublabel: Apex, Ultima, Diamonds, Digital Experience and was originally produced in cooperation wtih East Germany’s VEB Schallplatten. The late three symphonies were recorded in 1987, the first three four yeasr later, in a completely different world, after the fall of the Berlin Wall and Masur’s miraculous elevation to the Saint of Leipzig. But I digress. Fairly recently, all his Tchaikovsky has been bunged into a big Warner Box, which adds to the Symphonies and his Manfred also Piano Concertos with Elisabeth Leonskaja and the NYPhil (all three and the Fantasy), Mazeppa-, Nutcracker- and Swan Lake-excerpts, the Coronation March, R&J, the Serenade, and Francesca. The old set (really just the individual released bunged into a flimsy carton) includes Francesca da Rimini and R&J, but not Manfred. Gramophone’s Edward Greenfield was not too kind in his review of the symphonies (“there is a smoothness in their manner which, coupled with a plain, rhythmically four-square approach, removes all hints of Slavonic temperament… the mystery and fantasy that haunts this early work are missing… [as is] the joy of the inspiration, [with Masur] sounding too sober [throughout].”) He was kinder on the non-symphonic contributions. Hurwitz likes it well enough: “good solid, Teutonic”. All that a 1994 BBC Music Magazine review yielded to quote was: “Lively, affectionate and perceptive, Masur is both sensitive to detail and careful to maintain impetus.”
Pyotr Tchaikovsky The Symphonies Teldec Release: 2006? 6 CDs US | UK | DE | JP	Pyotr Tchaikovsky Orchestral Works, incl. M Warner Release: 2006 10 CDs US | UK | DE | JP		>
Zubin Mehta (1976/77) Los Angeles Philharmonic Here is Zubin Mehta’s Tchaikovsky cycle, which flopped on arrival in 1978 and wasn’t issued on CD as a set until 2006 (and since in a few Mehta-catch-all boxes), although accounts of it had been and remain reasonably positive. Maazel’s cycle was still fresh with Decca and they seem not to have pushed this one with any particular gusto; perhaps it was a contractual obligation for the label. In a review of the “Mehta: The LA Years” Box, Richard S. Ginell commented: “The biggest L.A. project, an excellent complete cycle of the six Tchaikovsky symphonies released the year after Mehta left, went almost unnoticed by the international press.” The 2006 box includes R&J, Nutcracker- and Swan Lake Suites*, Slavonic March, 1812, Capriccio*. No Manfred. (*Those three pieces are with the Israel Phil.) Wikipedia claims that Mehta is among those who have recorded the Manfred Symphony, but I've never come across such a recording, nor am I prone to trust Wikipedia in such particular matters.
Pyotr Tchaikovsky The Symphonies Decca Release: 2006 6 CDs US | UK | DE | JP
Yevgeny Mravisnky (1960) Leningrad Philharmonic Yes, it’s not a cycle of the Tchaikovsky Symphonies. And yet, is there a more important “Tchaikovsky Cycle”? In fact, if there’s a single recording that’s got more of a “definitive” status than these three Mravinsky-led Tchaikovsky symphonies (recorded while on tour in London and Vienna), do let me know! I can’t think of (m)any. So yes, they belong in this survey, necessarily, because they are the standard against which these symphonies are always measured, either to the extent they match them (no one does) or deviate from them. And yes, they are really quite amazing, like an invigorating kick in the pants. If you fall asleep during a Mravinsky-Tchaikovsky performance, see your nearest physician for an emergency check-up. Pure iron turns into fire. Rigor turns into fury. Rigidity turns into a maelstrom of emotions. There’s only a small bug: Most sets of these symphonies do the dastardly thing and split the Fifth symphony up across two CDs. A crime, really (which obviously doesn’t apply if you consume your music disembodied through the æther) and one to be avoided at (almost) all costs. Fortunately, that is possible, and the cost isn’t even “all”, only pretty hefty: Go get the individual* “SHMCD” or “SHM-SACD” releases available in/from Japan. What does “SHMCD” even mean? It doesn’t matter, but, if you must know: “Super High Material CD” (and, respectively, “Super High Material Super Audio CD”). What is a Super High Material? The cynic in me would suggest that it’s a material that you must be super high for, to believe that it will materially improve the audio quality of your CDs. Japanese engineers would counter that it’s a material that replaces the conventional Polycarbonate of a CD, allows it to be pressed more accurately, that the material is more transparent, that it causes less jitter, and less read error correction. None of this has been borne out in tests, but neither has homeopathy and people still believe in it. If you have an SACD player, you can apply the same explanation/rationale there. Perhaps the masters are better. I don’t know, I don’t care… but I do know that these releases sound wildly magnificent, whether for real or in my imagination. (They almost feel like they’re made out of glass, btw.) These are the only recordings where I have ever splurged on something like this and, unreasonably or not, I cherish them and I suggest that’s the way they ought to be enjoyed… if you can justify it for yourself. Meanwhile, there’s another set of Mravinsky conducting the two last Tchaik symphonies available on DG, with Kurt Sanderling (Mravinsky’s joint principal conductor at the Leningrad Phil for two decades) conducting the Fourth. These are not identical but earlier, mono-Melodiya recordings that DG remastered and issued at the time, before the stereo re-makes were available. Yes, they split the Fifth. * There is an SHM-CD set of the three symphonies available, too, but that retains the split which avoiding is half the purpose of getting these pricier releases is in the first place, so that’s to be avoided, too. The same is obv. true for the Japanese ‘plain Jane’ DG-Originals release. Also, Mravinsky recorded Symphonies Nos. 5 and 6 earlier, in mono, also released on DG, together with his Leningrad Philharmonic joint principal conductor Kurt Sanderling’s 4th (just so you don't mix them up). There are also Blu-ray and Esoteric and UHQ-MQA-CD ("Ultimate HighQuality, Master Quality Authenticated coded CDs") releases of (some) of these symphonies, but you will have to send your kids into slave labor to afford these. .
Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphonies 4 - 6 DG Release: 2006 2 CDs US | UK | DE | JP	Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphony No.4 DG SHM-CD Release: 2023? 1 CD US | UK | DE | JP	Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphony No.5 DG SHM-CD Release: 2016? 1 CD US | UK | DE | JP	Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphony Nr.6 DG SHM-CD Release: 2018? 1 CD US | UK | DE | JP
Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphonies 4 - 6 DG Originals Release: 2006 2 CDs US | UK | DE | JP	Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphony No.4 DG SHM-SACD Release: 2018? 1 SACD US | UK | DE | JP	Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphony No.5 DG SHM-SACD Release: 2018? 1 SACD US | UK | DE | JP	Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphony No.6 DG SHM-SACD Release: 2018? 1 SACD US | UK | DE | JP
Riccardo Muti (1975-79) Philharmonia Orchestra Just around the same time that Mehta’s cycle came out, young, 34-year-old Riccardo Muti was in the process of recording a cycle of his own, in London, with the Philharmonia. Loads of critics love Riccardo Muti’s Tchaikovsky cycle. On instinct, I’ve always stayed away from it, fearing bloated boredom (à la Schubert), which is strange, because I find Muti very generally superb in Russian repertoire (Prokofiev, Scriabin). It didn’t help that the set had been neglected by EMI and re-issued by enterprising Brilliant. (Like the Scriabin.) Here’s what Hurwitz has to say, over at ClassicsToday: “Muti’s Philharmonia Tchaikovsky cycle on balance remains the best available, probably the best thus far recorded. It has everything: passion, intensity, razor-sharp discipline, and excitement aplenty.” (Although he also says that he likes Marketvitch still better, by a smidgen.) Gramophone’s Edward Greenfield chimed in: “Recorded between 1975 and 1979 in excellent analog sound, Muti's Tchaikovsky cycle with the Philharmonia is one of the most consistent ever, with the conductor's high voltage tempered by expressive warmth and keen fantasy. And would you believe it – it’s bloody out of print again. At least outside catch-all boxes, that is. Bound to be rectified before long, I should think.
Pyotr Tchaikovsky The Symphonies EMI Release: 1991 4 CDs US | UK | DE | JP	Pyotr Tchaikovsky The Symphonies +M Brilliant Release: 20?? 7 CDs US | UK | DE | JP	Pyotr Tchaikovsky The Symphonies +M Warner Release: 2014 5 CDs US | UK | DE | JP	Pyotr Tchaikovsky The Symphonies +M ++ Warner Release: 2011 7 CDs US | UK | DE | JP
Eugene Ormandy (1968-1976?) Philadelphia Orchestra Ormandy conducted lots of Tchaikovsky – and well. He recorded Pathétique five times alone, first in 1936 and last in 1981. The late symphonies he did for CBS, then all of them for RCA… but since the labels have merged under Sony, they’re a little tricky to keep apart. The earlier ones are available individually on “Essential Classics”, the latter ones are part of the very convenient Ormandy-Tchaikovsky box that’s part of the Sony/RCA “Masters” edition. Both are in stereo and distinct from his 1950s mono recordings. Ormandy is also one of the few conductors (and was the first) to have recorded the “Seventh” Symphony of Tchaikovsky’s, Sergei Bogatyryev’s reconstruction of an abandoned symphony (see also Kitajenko). Do get the 60s Fourth, even if you have or can find the (currently oop) box, which includes Manfred, 1812, Andante cantabile, Capriccio, FdR, R&J, Marche slave, Serenade, 3 Piano Concertos, Rococo-Variations, Violin Concerto, ballet excerpts, and "None but the Lonely Heart" (from the op.6 songs).
Pyotr Tchaikovsky The Symphonies +M ++ Sony/RCA Release: 2013 12 CDs US | UK | DE | JP
Vasily Petrenko (2015) Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra For Gramophone Magazine, Mark Pullinger made the first release his 2016 nomination for Critics’ Choice. The second set gets away with similar praise: “Petrenko’s fast and furious approach once again pays off with invigorating performances which dispel Russian gloom… Petrenko’s Fourth is a white-knuckle ride, speedy with dramatic hairpin dynamics. The Liverpool brass are imposing in the opening ‘Fate’ fanfare, although not quite as abrasive as Yevgeny Mravinsky’s… The real joy in this set comes via the Third Symphony, [where] Petrenko offers a coruscating reading, sparkling with imperial brilliance.” Jurowski’s LPO cycle hadn’t been finished then, but Pullinger suggests that “with his excellent Manfred on Naxos thrown in as a supplement… Petrenko’s [is] the finest modern cycle of Tchaikovsky’s symphonies currently available.” Live reviews from concerts around those recordings were equally full of praise: “… Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony [was] a reminder of how Petrenko and the RLPO can be so special. Everything was perfectly judged and shaped, yet thrillingly high-voltage in intensity and mood. The playing was at once dynamic and precise, superbly controlled and wonderfully expressive. An absolute knockout: it’s going to be a remarkable Tchaikovsky cycle, if this is anything to go by.” (Tim Ashley) Guardian colleague Fiona Maddocks was just a smidgen more tepid about the recordings in her review of the first release. Indeed, the entire English coterie of music critics seems to have been enthralled: David Nice wrote nice things about it (accompanied by 4 out of 5 Stars) for the BBC Classical Music Magazine. Ditto James Longstaffe (Presto): “The strings … have an extraordinarily varied sound, from the rich, warm tone at the start of the Fifth Symphony's final movement, to their amazingly dusky, veiled timbre when they perform with their mutes at the start of the second movement of Symphony No. 1.” Only MusicWeb’s Simon Thompson tempers his enthusiasm with some lukewarm comments about Nos. 4 and 6 but attests that “No. 3 [and No.1] get one of the finest performances out there. Taking both volumes together, they don’t quite match up to the finest sets such as Pletnev’s second cycle…” Almost sounds, like they are worth a good try-out.
Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphonies Nos.1, 2 & 5 Onyx Release: 2016 2 CDs US | UK | DE | JP	Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphonies Nos.3, 4 & 6 Onyx Release: 2017 2 CDs US | UK | DE | JP
Mikhail Pletnev I (1983-1989) Russian National Orchestra Mikhail Pletnev delivered a widely raved-about Pathétique for Virgin back in the day. His Sleeping Beauty (DG) is stupendous, his piano concertos (Virgin) are right up my alley. (The Virgin Tchaikovsky has been neatly boxed in one of those “4 Pleasure” sets.) His DG cycle met with mixed receptions: Some enthusiastic, some tepid… whereas his contemporary set of Symphonic Poems, coupled with his Manfred, also for DG, were almost universally very well regarded. The latter are included in the current DG set of the symphony, thankfully. Rob Barnett, one of the trustworthy reviewers on MusicWeb, liked it well. Gramophone’s John Steane found that “Pletnev seems keener to focus attention on Tchaikovsky’s other cosmopolitan, classical self [than the usual Russian conducting suspects]. …He avoids the time-honored unmarked dynamic and tempo adjustments [and] his orchestra’s cultured tones seem ever more fitted for the job: there is a choir-like blend and evenness of tone from the top to the bottom of the orchestra [with] the colour, richness, and definition of the orchestra’s basses [catching your attention time and again].” No splitting of symphonies on any iteration of this set. Despite my conflicted feelings about too much Tchaikovsky, this set is on my personal wishlist.
Pyotr Tchaikovsky The Symphonies DG Release: 1996 5 CDs US | UK | DE | JP	Pyotr Tchaikovsky The Symphonies +M et al. DG Release: 2017 7 CDs US | UK | DE | JP
Mikhail Pletnev II (2010-13) Russian National Orchestra More recently, Pletnev has revisited the symphonies for Pentatone (on SACDs, with the option of surround sound) – and it’s certainly a gorgeously boxed (oop) set that includes Manfred. Again, the reception was mixed. My own expectations were very high and let down considerably; I simply found it on the boring, mellow side, after a first run-through. I still hope, somehow, that I’m wrong because I tend to – and want to – like Pletnev. And it should be so good, on paper. MusicWeb’s Simon Thompson enjoyed it very much. But sometimes – and I am not saying in this case, necessarily – I feel that amateur reviewers can be impressed too much by how nice the set is that they got their grubby little hands on for free… and make up in bluster for what they lack in experience. At least Thompson describes it in detail, rather than simply proclaiming to be this or that. Hurwitz thinks it’s “lousy”. Actually, he thinks both sets are boring, but then he doesn’t much like Pletnev, so I’d take that with a big grain of salt, too. If you have heard this, let me know how you like it – and why. As fillers you get: Capriccio italien, Coronation March, Francesca, R&J, Overture-fantasia, and the Slavonic March. (Most of the individual SACDs are still available.)
Pyotr Tchaikovsky The Symphonies +M et al. Pentatone Release: 2017 7 SACDs US | UK | DE | JP
Mstislav Rostropovich (1976-77) London Philharmonic Orchestra Rostropovich, conducting his way through all Russian symphonists, was not going to skip Tchaikovsky. Hurwitz is also not a fan of this one, calling it noisy (the older mastering, anyway), vulgar, and “nice” but absolutely loves the Francesca and R&J on the set. Also included in the latest (2017) Warner iteration are: 1812, the Sérénade Mélancolique with Maxim Vengerov, and Slava’s own Rococo Variations with Ozawa/Boston.
Pyotr Tchaikovsky The Symphonies +M et al. EMI Rostrop. Edition Release: 1995 5 CDs US | UK | DE | JP	Pyotr Tchaikovsky The Symphonies +M et al. EMI Release: 2006 5 CDs US | UK | DE | JP	Pyotr Tchaikovsky The Symphonies +M et al. EMI Release: 2017 6 CDs US | UK | DE | JP
Gennady Rozhdestvensky I (1972-74) Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra Rozhdestvensky is not a Tchaikovsky conductor in the lean, fleet Markevitch or fast’n’furious Mravinsky mold, he’s rather a slow-burn man. This is first – and only complete – cycle from the 70s with his Mosco Radio Symphony Orchestra (a.k.a. USSR State Radio Symphony Orchestra, USSR State Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra, USSR All-Union National Radio and Central Television Symphony Orchestra, Grand Symphony Orchestra of All-Union National Radio Service and Central Television Networks, now Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra)). The Melodiya releases are currently hard to come by on disc but are readily available in digital form. The sound is of classic “Uh-Oh” Soviet quality.
Pyotr Tchaikovsky The Symphonies Melodiya Release: 2010 5 CDs US | UK | DE | JP	Pyotr Tchaikovsky The Symphonies Melodiya Release: 2010 5 CDs	Pyotr Tchaikovsky The Symphonies Melodiya Release: 2020 mp3
Gennady Rozhdestvensky II (1988/89) USSR Ministry of Culture Symphony Orchestra These are recordings Rozhdestvensky made in 1988 and 1989, when he was the music director of the [Large] USSR Ministry of Culture Symphony (now known as the State Symphony Capella of Russia). He didn’t end up recording the First, so this set brings together Nos. Two through Six plus Manfred, the First as conducted by Konstantin Ivanov with the Moscow RSO (1964), and throws in the Serenade, Moscow Cantata, Nutcracker Suite, and “Symphony No.7” (see Ormandy, Kitajenko, Neeme Järvi), taken up by by Sergei Skripka and the (wait for it!) [Russian] State Cinema(tographic) Orchestra formerly known as the State Symphony Orchestra of Cinematography at the Council of Ministers of the USSR. The set is no longer available in physical form. Just before this almost-cycle was made, Rozhdestvensky also recorded the last three symphonies with the London Symphony Orchestra, which were released in 1987 on IMP Classics, re-released on Regis, and included in the Brilliant mixed-conductor set shown below).
Pyotr Tchaikovsky The Symphonies +M et al. Alto Release: 2013 6 CDs US | UK | DE | JP
Alexander Sladkovsky (2019) Tartastan National Symphony Orchestra Alexander Sladkovsky has a knack for pulling off ambitious recording feats – stunts, one might say – with his Tartastan National Symphony Orchestra and financers to back the efforts. He’s recorded the complete Shostakovich Symphonies and Concertos already (which he got Melodiya to release), and in 2019 he added all the orchestral works of Tchaikovsky to the mix. This time Sony Classics was paid enough money to print a few copies – but otherwise the massive vanity project appears to have been a straight-to-digital release. The links on Sony’s own website don’t even bother with accuracy, but you can find most of the recordings online, especially if aided by tenacity and a working knowledge of the Cyrillic alphabet. There’s a shill review out there, and the rest is silence. Still, here it is.
Pyotr Tchaikovsky The Symphonies +M +++ Sony Release: 2020 10 CDs US | UK | DE | JP
Leonard Slatkin (1988-1993) St. Louis Symphony Orchestra Leonard Slatkin is a fine Tchaikovsky conductor and his set of the ballets is very good (Hurwitz loves it). By the time it was finished, RCA may not have been as invested in the greatly successful St.Louis/Slatkin adventure anymore and the cycle was never boxed, to this day. It’s not even made it onto the Naxos Music Library. Not having heard it, I can’t say that it’s well overdue a little attention, but it probably should. Reviews are hard to find, but for Gramophone, Michael Jameson wrote about the Third symphony: “Leonard Slatkin's greatest asset in this blazingly assertive Tchaikovsky Third lies in his totally unsentimental approach, vital in this most intractable of the symphonies.” He concludes ranking it as the best (at the time) performance of the Third. Even though it’s “Everything-Anglo-is-Great”-Gramophone, that whets the appetite, doesn’t it?!
Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphony No.1, Francesca RCA Release: 1997 1 CD US | UK | DE | JP	Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphony No.2, R&J, 1812 RCA Release: 1995 1 CD US | UK | DE | JP	Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphony No.3, Capr.ital. RCA Release: 1992 1 CD US | UK | DE | JP	Pyotr Tchaikovsky Sym. No.4, Voyevoda, Fatum RCA Release: 1991 1 CD US | UK | DE | JP
Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphony No.5, Tempest RCA Release: 1990 1 CD US | UK | DE | JP	Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphony No.6, Hamlet RCA Release: 1993 1 CD US | UK | DE | JP
Leonard Slatkin II (2015) Detroit Symphony Orchestra In the spirit of uber-completeness, here is Leonard Slatkin’s direct-to-digital cycle with the Detroit SO. On YouTube you can find Slatkin’s short commentary on each of the symphonies. (I.e. No.1, here and his thoughts on recording them again here.) They were recorded in concert over the course of three weeks in 2015.
Pyotr Tchaikovsky The Symphonies Live from Orchestra Hall Release: 2015 digital only
Yevgeny Svetlanov I (1967) USSR State Symphony Orchestra There are a good number of reviewers and listeners out there, who consider (Y)evgeny Svetlanov the supreme (modern) Tchaikovsky conductor. While they agree on that, they just can’t quite agree on which of his four (!) cycles is the best – although if there is any consensus, it tilts towards the later, better-sounding Japanese recordings, not the 1967 Melodiya release that we’ll start with here, because the latter is marred by pretty terrible sound (in the old Melodiya/RCA release, anyway). Everyone loved his (early) Manfred Symphony (in the 'standard' version with the quiet ending; see below), all the same. His orchestra is the same in all recordings but it changed its name after the collapse of the Soviet Union, from "USSR State Symphony Orchestra" to "Russian State Symphony Orchestra" (or "State Academic Symphony Orchestra of the Russian Federation") to (now) "State Academic Symphony Orchestra 'Evgeny Svetlanov'" a.k.a. "Svetlanov Symphony Orchestra". I have yet to take the plunge, and the sets are not easily (or at least inexpensively) gotten, so you will have to take other people’s word for it. Here is a Gramophone review from John Steane, comparing the first and second cycles. Here is Rob Barnett's review of the Melodiya re-issue on MusicWeb: "Svetlanov's Tchaikovsky symphonies are a discographical reference point... In a ruthlessly competitive market this must be treated as a historical issue. However when compared to the perfection of other hum-drum soul-poor versions this has all the unruly virtues of vivid, human music-making. Svetlanov in the 1960s was no perpetrator of Stepford Wives-style risk-averse Tchaikovsky. This set belongs on the shelf next to Markevitch, Mravinsky*, Stokowski*, Monteux*, Rozhdestvensky and Temirkanov. You will need to avoid only if you are determined to be allergic to 1960s Soviet wind instruments and playing techniques." The set on Korean Aulos was supposed to have been a splendid remastering, but good luck finding that! Actually: Good luck finding this set at all, until Melodiya re-issues it again and is allowed to distribute it in the West. Only the two BMG "Twofers" appear reasonably available, used. The Melodiya set contains Manfred but not all the boni. The BMG set contains the boni (Capriccio, Francesca, R&J, Serenade, Fatum, Tempest, Voyevoda, Andante cant.) but not Manfred. The Aulos set only the six symphonies.
Pyotr Tchaikovsky The Symphonies +M Melodiya Release: 2014 5 CDs US | UK | DE | JP | digital	Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphonies 1-3 Melodiya/BMG Release: 1993 2 CDs US | UK | DE | JP	Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphonies 4-6 Melodiya/BMG Release: 1993 2 CDs US | UK | DE | JP	Pyotr Tchaikovsky Manfred & boni Melodiya/BMG Release: 1993 2 CDs US | UK | DE | JP
Pyotr Tchaikovsky The Symphonies ++ Melodiya/BMG Release: 1993 6 CDs US | UK | DE | JP	Pyotr Tchaikovsky The Symphonies +M Aulos Release: 1993 4 CDs Aladin KR
Yevgeny Svetlanov II (1985) USSR State Symphony Orchestra In 1985 came the next recorded set, a studio recording for broadcast by Moscow Central Television (4:3). The venue isn’t specified, and the editing is somewhat ‘artistic’. Presumably, it was done in the large hall of the Moscow Broadcasting Corporation. At one point it had been released on DVD in Japan. There is not much more information of the set to be found, except that it contains Symphonies Nos. 1-6 + Manfred and an interview with Svetlanov and that it is in monaural sound. The 1985 Manfred (in the allegedly “original” version with cuts a souped-up triumphal ending) can be found on YouTube and gives you more than an idea. The set is v. much out of print; individual DVD releases still float about, though, if you look hard enough.
Pyotr Tchaikovsky The Symphonies Dreamlife Release: 2005 4 DVDs
Yevgeny Svetlanov III (1990) USSR State Symphony Orchestra In 1990, at the time of the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Svetlanov returned to the Tchaikovsky Symphonies with a cycle recorded live at Tokyo Suntory Hall and Bunkamura/Orchard Hall (Nos.1 and 6). It’s been released on a number of labels, on Canyon (now on Exton) in Japan and briefly, as part of the Svetlanov Edition, on Warner. Manfred (from 1992) is included and again Svetlanov opts for the shorter, triumphal ending. (Temirkanov did the same thing at the Proms, btw.) The Warner set did not include the Manfred symphony which, incongruously, was released seperately.
Pyotr Tchaikovsky The Symphonies Warner Release: 2008 5 CDs US | UK | DE | JP	Pyotr Tchaikovsky Manfred Symphony Warner Release: 2008 1 CD US | UK | DE | JP	Pyotr Tchaikovsky The Symphonies Canyon/Emergo Release: 1994 7 CDs US | UK | DE | JP	Pyotr Tchaikovsky The Symphonies +M Exton Release: 2012 6 CDs US | UK | DE | JP
Yevgeny Svetlanov IIII (1993) Russian State Symphony Orchestra In 1993 he recorded the cycle again, in the studio (at the Great Hall of the Moscow Broadcasting Station) for Canyon/Exton. This time, there is no Manfred included. He led his orchestra for another seven years before being (allegedly) fired by the minister of culture of Russia for spending too much time conducting abroad instead of Moscow. He died two years later, aged 73.
Pyotr Tchaikovsky The Symphonies Canyon Release: 1993 6 CDs	Pyotr Tchaikovsky The Symphonies Exton Release: 2016 6 CDs US | UK | DE | JP
Yuri Temirkanov (1989-1993) Royal Philharmonic Orchestra As I come to write about Yuri Temirkanov near the end of this survey, the news of his death yesterday, November 2nd, 2023) has reached me. I was lucky enough to hear him often with the Baltimore Symphony (and, occasionally, his St. Petersburg Philharmonic) but perhaps not mature enough to always appreciate the performances all that much. (Although it had one of the finest performances of the Beethoven Violin Concerto I’ve heard live among them.) Anyway, his Tchaikovsky cycle is reasonably well-regarded, but with caveats. “The last three Tchaikovsky symphonies have always been a parade-ground for the wildest eccentricities, and there are times when Temirkanov joins the front rank of transgressors.” (BBC Music Magazine) Rob Barnett reviews it for MusicWeb here. And Gramophone (John Steane again) weighed in thus: “If you crave the interpretative freedoms of yesteryear, lend an ear to Temirkanov's Tchaikovsky. At times, I wondered whether this set might achieve wider recognition if cloaked in a sanctifying veil of distortion and surface noise, but wide recognition is certainly what the majority of it deserves to achieve, even if a disproportionate amount of this review will probably be devoted to issuing warnings… Explorers and the broad-minded should investigate the RPO Temirkanov.” Hurwitz likes it well enough, too, but doesn’t go into any detail in his Tchaikovsky Cycle video. The boni included are: R&J, Capriccio, Fatum, Marche slave, Francesca, and Swan Lake excerpts.
Pyotr Tchaikovsky The Symphonies + RCA Release: 1994 6 CDs US | UK | DE | JP	Pyotr Tchaikovsky The Symphonies + RCA Complete Collections Release: 2003 6 CDs US | UK | DE | JP	Pyotr Tchaikovsky + The Symphonies + Sony Masters Ed. Release: 2016 6 CDs US | UK | DE | JP
Vladimir Valék (2003-05) Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra Supraphon has a cycle of the Tchaikovsky symphonies, of course, but it’s not with one of the household names you might suspect from the label – but Vladimir Valék instead, conducting the Prague RSO, not the Czech Phil, as in the fine Prokofiev symphony cycle (the next upcoming project). Victor Carr reviewed the set of studio recordings made between 2003 and 2005 for ClassicsToday and while he liked the three late symphonies (“…there’s… remarkably fresh and well-groomed playing of the Prague Radio Symphony with its distinctly East European (if not especially Slavic) tone. The orchestra’s clarity of ensemble complements Valék’s interpretive approach, which with its light textures and crisp, energized phrasing makes the music sound remarkably like the symphonies of Mozart…”), he was appalled by the “crippling” cuts in the earlier three works. No Manfred or boni. No split symphonies, despite the 4-CD format.
Pyotr Tchaikovsky + The Symphonies Supraphon Release: 2005 4 CDs US | UK | DE | JP
Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra (2003-05) Adrian Leaper & Antoni Wit We are at the end of the list, with cycles with various conductors. Firstly, there’s the Naxos cycle that brings together a gloriously playing Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Adrian Leaper in Nos.1, 2, and 4, and by Antoni Wit in the remaining Nos. 3, 5, and 6. It includes the three piano concertos with Bernd Glemser, the Fantaisie, Andante & Finale, Hamlet, Tempest, Tempest Overture, and Francesca.
Pyotr Tchaikovsky ++ The Symphonies + Naxos Release: 2006 7 CDs US | UK | DE | JP
Assorted conductors (Various years) Multiple orchestras Then there is the cycle on Brilliant which contains Fedoseyev in the 1st and 3rd from his first cycle (see above), Nos. 4 through 6 with Rozhdestvensky from his LSO outing, and No.2 and Manfred with Yuri Simonov and the Philharmonia and LSO, respectively. The last one I found is intriguing: The Tower Records Japan 5-CD, Manfred-including cycle of (generally) great and famous performances on Universal that brings together Tilson Thomas and his classic 1970 Boston account for No.1 with No.2 from Claudio Abbado's conducting the (New) Philharmonia (1968). No.3 is taken by Moshe Atzmon and the Vienna Symphony Orchestra from 1972 (never even heard of it). No.4 comes courtesy Bernard Haitink (RCO, 1978), No.5 surprises with Sawallisch (same orchestra; 1962), the Pathétique chosen is Antal Doráti's with the LSO (1960, mono), Manfred is taken by Yuri Ahronovitch (with the same orchestra; 1968).
Pyotr Tchaikovsky The Symphonies +M Brilliant Release: 2011 7 CDs US | UK | DE | JP	Pyotr Tchaikovsky + The Symphonies +M Tower Records Release: 2011 5 CDs US | UK | DE | JP

Tchaikovsky Symphony Cycles complete overview, complete Tschaikowski Tschaikowsky Sinfonien




-->