Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4 + 5

As Rosbaud's recordings in the SWR sound archive prove, Rosbaud cultivated the entire classical-romantic repertoire; nevertheless, in the face of this specific interpretative personality, it may be somewhat surprising that he also turned to the symphonic works of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Hans Rosbaud apparently felt himself that he was entering territory that was not necessarily tailor-made for him – that which the common people call the "Russian soul", a connection between melancholic lyricism and overflowing temperament, was not necessarily close to Rosbaud's aesthetic ideas. Rosbaud knew that it would be no use forcing this by force, and so he chose a completely different approach for Tchaikovsky's Fourth Symphony – and that is precisely what makes this performance interesting. Rosbaud scrupulously traced the formal-motivic development of the work, i.e., precisely what really makes up the rank of this symphony; he illuminated the colors of the instrument groups, particularly striking in the Scherzo with the alternation between the "sempre pizzicato" playing strings and the block-like appearing woodwinds and brass. The work shines in formal transparency, even if the Allegro con fuoco-Final movement may seem somewhat stiff. The conception seems convincing. All the more astonished the listener is with the production of the Fifth Symphony. Here Rosbaud succeeds in an extremely dramatic performance entirely from the spirit of the relentless formal consistency, but also from Tchaikovsky's specific temperament, a seamless interpretation that has the potential to take every competitor with famous interpretations as a reference recording of the work.