Sym, 6, : Gergiev / Kirov O +romeo & Juliet

This selection received a Grammy Award nomination for "Best Orchestral
Performance."
Tchaikovsky's Sixth Symphony is one of the most intense emotional statements in all of music. One almost has to be reminded that it is not just an extemporaneous outpouring of feeling, but also a well-built piece: for instance, that the heart-stopping panic attack in the first movement is not just hysteria but also the beginning of the development section. Of course one can never forget the fact that Tchaikovsky died days after the premiere in circumstances that at least suggest willful surrender if not suicide.
Valery Gergiev may be the most emotional of conductors, often giving the appearance of improvising his interpretations on the spot out of thin air, and his results in this music are hugely satisfying--if that's the right word for music that if played well, as here, should leave you shattered. The performance never falls into mere routine and the Kirov Orchestra responds glowingly. Then, if you're up for more, there's a most involving account of the 'Romeo and Juliet' Fantasy Overture that will leave you shattered all over again.
REVIEWS:
American Record Guide (5-6/00, pp. 210-11) - "Gergiev hits a solid home run with this disc....his 'Pathetique' is a direct, powerful, fiery tra- versal with excellent dramatic instincts....[his] passionate, tempestuous 'Romeo and Juliet'....strikes at the very core of the emotions..."