Newton Classics are a force to be reckoned with in the classical
music recordings world. Their access to all niches of Universal’s
catalogue stretching way back into the 1950s makes their release
schedule always worth perusal. They have no hang-ups about analogue
– nor should they. Their presentation – the look and feel of
their product is well conceived and carried through. The red
livery and classy images coupled with the enigmatic fire-breathing
newt instantly establish their presence on the rack or shelf.
They’re clearly ambitious and well resourced as their rate of
issue is phenomenal. Not up to Naxos levels but no mean track
record.
I have known this set for a very long time … on and off. A friend
bought the massive ten LP Philips box (6799 002) of the symphonies
and suites and much else circa 1972 in a WH Smiths sale in Torquay.
We learnt the rarer symphonies from that source. That cycle
has been repeatedly mined by Philips for single issues ever
since not least various Festivo albums but also a couple of
1993-1995 Duos of the symphonies. Such a shame that Markevitch’s
LSO Manfred has been dropped out of the picture. The
same symphony cycle has formed the backbone of at least two
Philips Tchaikovsky mega-boxes in the 1990s.
The First Symphony is sensitively done with a light hand.
The romance rises in fragrance and balletic delicacy. I rather
enjoyed the Bernstein CBS
version but this benefits enormously from a much more subtly
detailed sound-picture. Temirkanov
is more red-blooded though that quality does not always sit
easily with this work. It’s much the same set of pros and cons
in the Second and Third Symphonies but here I
would not want to be without the latest Alto
coupling of Rozhdestvensky with 2 and 3 complete on one disc.
The latter are gripping although you might draw the line on
such ragingly vivid sound; accept it and there are great compensations.
Certainly Pletnev (DG
digital) and Markevitch (exemplary vividness) enjoy much
better sound even allowing for Philips’ analogue hiss. Markevitch
and the LSO – showing their early expertise in Russian repertoire
– are lavishly enjoyable. Try as an example the little scherzo
of No. 3 which for me always recalls the Winter Daydreams
of the First Symphony. This conductor did not have it in
him to deliver a routine Fourth Symphony. The first and
final movements adopt phrasal articulation that is as unusual
as it is effective. The Scherzo is done with virile address
– delicate but supercharged. Stereo separation and soundstage
spread add to the pleasure and give the slightly lower profile
Fifth a lift. Time and again the recording pleases. The
long-breathed horn solo is taken with much more staccato than
legato and this is refreshing rather than irritating. It is
instructive to compare the Dudamel Fifth (DG)
with this recording. Made many years later in live concert the
Dudamel is a much more matte audio-emotional experience - exciting
but the Markevitch draws you back with a much greater depth
of rewarding detail. It is cooler, that’s for sure, and cannot
match the feral Leningrad/Mravinsky on DG (also 1960s), the
LSO Monteux on Vanguard
or the revelatory Stokowski on Cameo
Classics. As for the Sixth, this has pregnant tension
and impressive concentration. The playing is invigoratingly
alert, precisely defined and the brass deliver irresistibly
emphasised drama.
This set is saddled with having to split two (2 and 5) of the
six across discs. This will not be any sort of a problem with
multi-disc set-ups in the car or auto-changers; others may find
it a blemish. That I mention it at all shows a very short memory:
prior to 1949 listeners were accustomed to changing sides after
3 or 4 minutes and from 1950 to 1983 LP collectors did not blink
at having to change the album side after 15 or 25 minutes. I
am not sure what the answer should have been. Clearly you cannot,
except in the case of the first two, squeeze pairs of these
symphonies onto a single CD. It might have been preferable to
go for Tchaikovsky-Markevitch fillers such as the tone poems
or the suites but that would have increased the price. Also
bewail that Manfred has been allowed to slip into oblivion.
You need to take these factors into the reckoning. Do not underestimate
Markevitch.
According to the newsgroups the first run of this set included
some momentary silences in middle of some movements. Theo Lap
– who is Newton Classics – dealt with the matter with
admirable candour and integrity. The first run was withdrawn
and a new run - from which mine clearly came - issued with replacements
to those who had the first set.
Newton already have a stunning Tchaikovsky entry with their
Postnikova
piano concertos double. The present four CD set is not quite
up there with the Postnikova but it is very good and refreshing.
Honest and engaging analogue sound is a strength but it has
blessed the violins above ff with a certain hardness.
Rob Barnett
Track-listing
CD 1 [61:32]
Symphony No. 1 in G minor, Op. 13, Winter Daydreams (1866)
[41:13]
Symphony No. 2 in C minor, Op. 17, Little Russian (1872)
[35:39] (I, II)
CD 2 [63:13]
Symphony No. 2 in C minor, Op. 17, Little Russian (III,
IV)
Symphony No. 3 in D major, Op. 29, Polish (1875) [46:50]
CD 3 [67:35]
Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36 (1878) [42:14]
Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64 (1888) [43:04] (I, II)
CD 4 [64:07]
Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64 (III, IV)
Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Op. 74, Pathétique (1893)
[44:16]
London Symphony Orchestra/Igor Markevitch
rec. Wembley Town Hall, London, 16-25 February 1966 (1); 3-12
March 1965 (2 3); 19-21 October 1963 (4); 16-25 February 1966
(5); 9-12 January 1962 (6). ADD
London Symphony Orchestra/Igor Markevitch 
