P. I. Tchaikovsky: Overtures, Vol. 2 – BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra & Alpesh Chauhan

Alpesh Chauhan’s début recording for Chandos – Tchaikovsky: Orchestral Works, Vol. 1 (CHSA 5300) – met with widespread critical acclaim and awards, including recording of the week for both The Times and Presto Music, and the BBC Music magazine’s Orchestral Choice. This second volume – with the same forces – offers equally crisp and attentive playing from the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, in another album that mixes well-known and less-heard Tchaikovsky. Three purely orchestral works form the core of the programme: Fatum (an early concert piece inspired by and dedicated to Balakirev), Hamlet (the last of his Shakespeare-inspired pieces), and Capriccio italien. These are interspersed with works conceived for the theatre: the Introduction to his opera The Queen of Spades and excerpts from The Oprichnik (an early opera) and The Snow Maiden (incidental music for a play by Ostrovsky). The album was recorded in Glasgow City Halls in SURROUND-SOUND and is available as a hybrid SACD and in Dolby ATMOS immersive audio.

Reviews

Gramophone Magazine April 2024

“a delight for the audiophile. Every section and soloist of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra plays to the utmost, Alpesh Chauhan’s conducting is perfectionist and the Chandos production values are as high as ever.