This Tempest is Shakespeare's, as opposed to Ostrovsky's, for which Tchaikovsky composed his overture of that name (Op. 76). Composed in 1873, directly after the Little Russian Symphony, it is a fantasy for orchestra laid out on a large scale, with music for Prospero's enchanted island framing the tempest itself, Ferdinand and Miranda's meeting, and a scene for Caliban (behind which the Tchaikovsky of Swan Lake, just three years on, is readily detectable). At 24 minutes it is certainly over-long, but in this highly-charged atmospheric performance it makes a welcome addition to the CD catalogue.
Viktor Tretyakov's forthright account of the Violin Concerto is also welcome, the more so for presenting the finale uncut and for his musicianly shaping of virtuoso passagework. He clearly holds strong views about how certain passages should go—he does his level best to keep the false harmonics in the finale up to tempo, for instance, although here one can't help thinking that the traditional, unmarked easing-up is an improvement. It is a very up-front account and the slow movement does not even sound veiied in tone, let alone con sordino. Controlled and civilized, yes but by no means to be ranked alongside the great recorded interpretations of this work.
Like the Tempest fantasy, the Voyevoda symphonic ballade is currently unrepresented in the CD catalogue. A late-ish work (the low brass writing towards the end is a premonition of the Pathetique first movement) it is particularly interesting for its exotic touches of colour. As so often, Tchaikovsky's invention tends towards the formulaic, and his subject-matter (Mickiewicz's poem about a Polish general who returns to find that his wife has betrayed him) does not supply the drive which would transform those formulas into great music. But the interest value is strong, especially given the startling discontinuities Tchaikovsky allows himself and the unexpected closeness of parts of the score to Rimsky-Korsakov.
Performances are serviceable, if hardly the ultimate in tonal refinement. Recording quality tends towards the claustrophobic but certainly does not lack impact.'