Tchaikovsky: Complete Symphonies, Overtures /Abravanel, Utah

The recordings of Maurice Abravanel and the Utah Symphony offer a striking parallel to those of John Barbirolli and the Hallé Orchestra. Both feature first-rate conductors allied to second-rate ensembles, and though the Utah forces routinely outplay their Manchester colleagues (you can, if you wish, compare directly in the last three symphonies), there's no denying the fact that neither offers serious competition to the world's great orchestras. Still, there's much to enjoy here. As a Tchaikovsky interpreter, Abravanel was superb, full of good ideas about pacing and balance (for an excellent case in point, check out the end of the Manfred Symphony's first movement), and the orchestra plays sufficiently well that it seldom if ever becomes a liability in the sense that it prevents the conductor's intentions from communicating to the listener. The highlights here include sensational performances of the first three symphonies. It's indicative of Abravanel's deep musicality that he scor