Alpesh Chauhan’s Tchaikovsky album with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra came as a surprise – the choice of repertoire is bold and even risky in a debut recording. But my apprehensions quickly gave way to relief, because Chauhan proves in this disc that he loves Tchaikovsky and is not afraid to show it, at a time when so many conductors appear embarrassed by the emotional intensity and try to tame the music, with results that are sometimes desiccated. All but one of the pieces might be described as ‘B‑list Tchaikovsky’: pieces that sometimes drag in performance or bother the listener with too many repetitions. But Chauhan makes them sound as if they deserve to be on the A‑list, demonstrating that he has a sure sense of how the music flows at the broadest level and that he is capable of communicating his vision to the orchestra.

The score of the late symphonic poem Voyevoda was destroyed by Tchaikovsky but the orchestral parts survived. The performance is ablaze from the outset and holds the listener in its grip throughout, intense but never harsh or garish. The melodies always sound vocal, whether lyrical or speech-like (listen out for the ‘talking’ bass clarinet at 2'50"). The explosive climax is a credit to the conductor, orchestra and sound engineers alike (at around 11'38").

The Tempest, an early piece, is also presented in its best colours, whether in the magically Wagnerian depiction of the calm sea or in the magnificent storm. The unstoppable rising line in the brass (track 4, from 1'48") sounds trite in many performances, but here it is delightful. No doubt this owes something to the sfumato sound engineering, but it still requires Chauhan’s fine control of all these magnificent sonic masses (never overdoing the percussion) and his feel for the direction and sweep.

The ultimate test of Chauhan’s artistry here is Francesca da Rimini, and he certainly does not disappoint. The introduction is often played so ponderously that the listener becomes impatient, but here it drives forwards with urgency. When the howling winds of hell arrive, they hit us with an overwhelming force that Dante himself would have admired. Francesca’s voice is free of all guile, each phrase of her confession entirely credible.

Those who are thoroughly committed to the more transparent and chiselled textures in the Tchaikovsky of Paavo Järvi or Vladimir Jurowski will find this recording over the top in both emotion and orchestral sound, and its sound engineering too heavy on the low frequencies. But anyone open to alternatives will be enthralled. I relished the luxuriant sound and was thrilled by Chauhan’s ability to communicate so naturally and powerfully.