Dudamel and the Simón Bolivar Orchestra have already recorded Tchaikovsky's fifth symphony with DG. They continue their series with three Shakespeare-inspired works: Hamlet, The Tempest and the well-known Fantasy Overture Romeo and Juliet. Performances are fervent and in every sense dynamic, requiring some adjustment of the volume switch to cope with extremes of pianissimo and fortissimo (could be my mid-range equipment but not usually a problem). Strings are full-blooded and lively in attack. Brass is fiery and manages to stay radiant rather than raucous. Perhaps not the most finely graded Tchaikovsky you'll ever hear, but definitely one for Dude fans.
Tchaikovsky & Shakespeare: Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela/ Dudamel – review
Fiona Maddocks
(Deutsche Grammophon)
Contributor
Fiona Maddocks
Fiona Maddocks is the Observer's classical music critic. She is the author of Hildegard of Bingen: The Woman of Her Age, Harrison Birtwistle: Wild Tracks, Music for Life and Goodbye Russia: Rachmaninoff in Exile. Twitter @FionaMaddocks
Fiona Maddocks
The GuardianTramp
