This recording was made in 1984, rather early in the relationship between Previn and the Royal Philharmonic. They seem to have been sympatico from the word go. Previn's 1970's recordings of the Tchaikovsky ballets are considered classics in some quarters. I think the same holds true for this symphony. Previn has a beautiful sense of the ebb and flow of the piece, with the strings following his every nuance with full tone and great delicacy. The highlighting of the usually hidden brass parts is one of the great features of this reading, adding color and texture that is often missing from performances of this piece. When Previn reaches the development section of the fourth movement, the tempo really takes off, in a way that is reminiscent of Dorati's great Mercury Living Presence version. All in all, this has to be one of the best Tchaikovsky 5ths in the catalog. The 1984 engineering is very satisfying, too, rather veiled but full bodied and beautifully detailed.--David Saemann Listen to Samples
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