Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, Op. 74 Pathétique Wiener Symphoniker & Philippe Jordan

• Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky (1840–1893): Symphonie Nr. 6 h-moll op. 74 „Pathétique“
• 1 I. Adagio - Allegro non troppo 18:26
• 2 II. Allegro con gracia 08:47
• 3 III. Allegro molto vivace 09:01
• 4 IV. Finale: Adagio lamentoso 09:53
• Total Runtime 46:07

Info for Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, Op. 74 Pathétique

December 14, 2013: A recording session in the Golden Hall of the Vienna Society of the Friends of Music marks the dawn of a new era for the Wiener Symphoniker. The history of this traditional Viennese orchestra is filled with 282 celebrated performances of P. I. Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique. And now the orchestra’s new chief conductor Philippe Jordan will show what he’s made of by interpreting this highly significant work. The orchestra’s intense involvement with Tchaikovsky’s Sixth began in 1903 with the legendary Russian conductor Vasily Safonov and the previous ensemble, the Wiener Concertverein.

Other colleagues of equal stature absolutely demonstrated their abilities by way of this final opus: Seiji Ozawa, Václav Neumann, Yakov Kreizberg, Hans Knappertsbusch, Otto Klemperer, Karl Böhm, Sergiu Celibidache, Lorin Maazel, and nearly every chief conductor of the Wiener Symphoniker, including Herbert von Karajan, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Carlo Maria Giulini, Georges Prêtre, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, Vladimir Fedosejev, and Fabio Luisi. What particular aspect(s) will Philippe Jordan emphasize? The mystical aspect? The hopeful secondary themes? The harsh fate that reveals the inexorable power of destiny? Maestro Jordan has been preparing for this great task with incredibly precise attention to detail. As a result, listeners can enjoy every facet of Tchaikovsky’s life [and work], no matter how small.

Recorded in Vienna at the Golden Hall of the Vienna Society of the Friends of Music, 14/ 15/ 19/ 20 December 2013.

“Jordan is the kind of conductor even the Vienna Philharmonic would be proud of having as its music director...His Tchaikovsky...is as well prepared as you might expect. But for me it doesn't catch fire until the finale...The Vienna Symphony brass sounds full and deep, and the clarinet takes its whispers as close to Tchaikovsky's record injunction pppppp as I've ever heard it.” (BBC Music Magazine)

“Jordan conducts with innate musicality and sound judgement, and his eminently clear-sighted and totally unmannered reading is clearly the result of some meticulous preparation. What's more, he has a lively ear, moulds phrases with imagination and care, and draws some strikingly alert, personable and beautifully blended playing from his new Viennese charges.” (Gramophone Magazine)

“this account of Tchaikovsky’s Sixth Symphony is often beautifully played, especially by the strings, and texturally very clearly defined. Not all will be convinced by the indulgent variations in tempo, but Jordan mostly avoids sentimentality, especially in a well-paced finale.” (The Times, UK)

Wiener Symphoniker
Philippe Jordan, conductor

Philippe Jordan
has already established himself as one of the most gifted and exciting conductors of his generation. At present, he is Music Director of the Opéra National de Paris and Music Director of the Wiener Symphoniker.Philippe Jordan’s musical education began with piano lessons at the age of six. At the age of eight, he joined the Zurich Sängerknaben and he was eleven when he began studying violin. At sixteen, he entered the Zurich Conservatory where he obtained his diploma of piano teacher with honors. He studied theory and composition with the Swiss composer Hans Ulrich Lehmann and continued his piano studies with Karl Engel. At the same time, he worked as assistant to Maestro Jeffrey Tate on Wagner’s Ring Cycle at the Châtelet in Paris. He continues to appear occasionally as pianist in recital and chamber music. His career began in 1994–95 as Kapellmeister of the Ulm Stadttheater. From 1998–2001, he was assistant to Daniel Barenboim at the Deutsche Staatsoper in Berlin. From 2001–04, he held the position of Chief Conductor of the Graz Opera and Graz Philharmonic Orchestra. In this period he made his debut at several prestigious international opera houses and festivals, the Houston Grand Opera, the Glyndebourne Festival, the Aix-en-Provence Festival, the Metropolitan Opera New York, the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, the Teatro alla Scala, the Bayerische Staatsoper Munich, the Salzburger Festspiele (Cosi fan tutte), the Wiener Staatsoper, the Festspielhaus Baden Baden (Tannhäuser) and the Bayreuth Festival (Parsifal). From 2006–10, he was Principal Guest Conductor of the Berlin Staatsoper unter den Linden. Highlights of previous seasons include his opera debut at the Teatro alla Scala (Der Rosenkavalier). Philippe Jordan’s orchestral engagements have included the Berlin Philharmonic, the Vienna Philharmonic, Berlin Staatskapelle, Vienna RSO, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Philharmonia Orchestra London, Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Tonhalle Zurich, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra, NDR/Hamburg Symphony, DSO Berlin, Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg, Rotterdam Phil- harmonic Orchestra and the Munchner Philharmoniker. In North America, he has appeared with the symphony orchestras of Seattle, St. Louis, Dallas, Detroit, Chicago, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Washington, Minnesota, Montreal, New York and San Francisco.

Wiener Symphoniker
As Vienna’s cultural ambassador and premier concert orchestra, the Wiener Symphoniker handles the lion’s share of symphonic activity that makes up the musical life of the city. The preservation of the traditional, Viennese orchestral sound occupies a central role in the orchestra’s many artistic pursuits. The Wiener Symphoniker is one of Europe’s most prestigious ensembles and boasts 128 members. For this reason, the orchestra is precisely the right vehicle for the great Romantic works of Brahms, Bruckner, Mahler and Richard Strauss that constitute its core repertoire.

The Vienna Musikverein and nearby Konzerthaus are the principal performing venues of the Wiener Symphoniker. The orchestra has also been in residence at the Bregenzer Festspiele since 1946 and continues to maintain close ties to the festival. Beginning in 2006, the orchestra added another feather to its cap: The Wiener Symphoniker now serves as resident opera orchestra for a whole host of stylistically diverse productions taking place at the Theater an der Wien. Periodic international tours to the most important music centers round out the extensive portfolio of this traditional, Viennese orchestra.

Booklet for Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, Op. 74 Pathétique