On this evidence, Mikhail Pletnev remains one of the most intelligent and stylish Tchaikovsky conductors around. His 1991 account of the Pathétique still strikes me as a thing of wonder, fabulously played, studded with revelatory detail and pleasingly spontaneous-sounding to boot. When Pletnev returned to the symphony four years later as part of his DG cycle, the fires had dimmed a little, though it’s still an uncommonly classy effort by any standards. If this team’s third recording is not quite their equal, it still serves up plenty of food for thought. Certainly, Pletnev possesses the happy knack of making one appreciate afresh just how extraordinarily novel and daringly spare much of the scoring is (for instance, in the dusky introduction, Tchaikovsky’s subtle deployment of divided violas and double basses). The Scherzo in particular ignites, the tempo challengingly swift yet without any suggestion of breathless fluster (indeed, the control is awesome). At the same time, there’s an element of restraint about Pletnev’s treatment of those toweringly eloquent second subjects in the first movement and finale which I personally find supremely touching but which, I readily acknowledge, will not be for everyone. The Capriccio italien is comparably tasteful and unvulgar but falls well short in outsize charisma (Slava and the Berliners on DG simply blow your socks off). The sound, too, could do with greater bloom and lustre.

The Nutcracker enshrines another formidably assured display that repeatedly has one gasping at the wondrous skill with which Tchaikovsky handles his forces. Once again, the playing of the RNO is past praise in its unruffled, articulate composure (the whole of the Act 2 Divertissement is a joy), and Pletnev’s direction is strong, clear-sighted and unsentimental, the transformation scene and battle music in Act 1 especially generating a terrific sense of spectacle and edge-of-seat thrust respectively. What’s in shorter supply, perhaps, is the tingling fantasy, balletic flair and whiff of greasepaint so conspicuously present on a whole host of tried-and-trusted favourites – Dorati (with the LSO on Mercury, 9/92, and RCO on Philips, 11/80R), Ansermet (Australian Eloquence, 5/82R), Previn (EMI, 3/93), Ozawa (DG) and Gergiev (Philips, 1/99) all instantly spring to mind. Both the ‘Waltz of the Snowflakes’ and ‘Waltz of the Flowers’ are just a little charmless, while Act 2’s glorious Pas de deux ‘Intrada’ serves up plenty of high drama but rather less in the way of passion. Still, admirers of Pletnev and his remarkable band will find much to relish. Ondine’s engineering has lots of dynamic impact but lacks something in mid-range glow.