Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5

Tchaikovsky's orchestral fantasy "Francesca da Rimini" is based on an episode from Dante's "Inferno" and unfolds a magnificent and captivating tableau from lyrical passages of mesmerizing richness of color to dramatic-theatrical outbursts. The Symphony No. 5, characterized by feeling, emotion and drama, composed within a short time twelve years later, is now one of Tchaikovsky's most popular works. Already the premiere in St. Petersburg became a great success with the audience. There is no question that Mariss Jansons brought the necessary touch of "Russian soul" to bring these works to their full power: The recordings from October 2009 and July 2010 show the former chief conductor of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, who passed away in 2019, in perfect unity with his orchestra, which is able to bring ecstasy and control into perfect balance here.