Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition; Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4

There seems to be an explosion of young, very young, conductorial talent in our midst. In addition to Mikko Franck, Vladimir Jurowski, Daniel Harding and Gustavo Dudamel, we now must count Tugan Sokhiev in their number. A North Ossetian (as is Valery Gergiev) born in 1977, this graduate of the Leningrad Conservatoire and winner of an international conducting competition has just finished his first year as music director of the Orchestre Nationale du Capitole de Toulouse, an orchestra many think France's finest outside Paris. He took over the orchestra from its long-time conductor, Michel Plasson, at the beginning of the 2005-2006 season. Earlier he spent one year as director of the Wales National Opera but left on somewhat clouded terms, although the details of that situation have not been easy to obtain; there is some consideration that a 25-year-old is not ready to be music director of an important opera company. At any rate, as far as I can determine this is Sokhiev's first recording on a major label and it's a humdinger. Of course, it consists of two Russian orchestral warhorses -- well, 'Pictures at an Exhibition' is really Franco-Russian, having been orchestrated by Ravel -- of which one could argue we don't need any new recordings. And they don't really tell us a lot about a new conductor, do they? Well, perhaps not, but both these performances are sensational. (It doesn't hurt that they are also in sensational sound -- plain stereo, not SACD, by the way -- some of the best recorded sound I've heard in a while.) It has been a while since I'd heard anything by the Toulouse orchestra but it seems to me it is miles above its former level, or maybe this is partly due to Sokhiev. At any rate, the orchestra is strong in every department -- silken and luxurious string sound, quintessentially French plangent and characterful woodwinds, brilliant brass, percussion (especially in the Mussorgsky) just this side of over-the-top (and precisely what the piece needs).

Sokhiev's interpretations of both the Mussorgsky and the Tchaikovsky are notable for their excitement, their emotionality, the required delicacy, élan and rhythmic precision, and consummate instrumental balances.

I frankly can hardly wait to hear what this young man will come up with next. I'd love to hear what he would do with central European classics and even more what he'd do with Debussy, Ravel, Fauré, Chabrier, Dukas, Roussel et al. I'd be inclined to guess the latter would be scintillating, the former possibly still a bit unformed. I guess we'll have to wait and see. Meanwhile, this CD seems to find itself back in my player (and in my car, and in my Discman) again and again.

Scott Morrison

As I said, I second J Scott Morrison. Each of these performances is an unqualified sensation! This Sokhiev: He's magnificent. As needed, he (and his orchestra) can be lyrical without schmaltz, grand without grandiosity, passionate without bombast--well, you get the picture. (And I am grateful to Morrison and to Jaramago [the previous reviewers], for without their reviews I doubt I would have purchased this CD.) This Sokhiev, he is magnificent. I too cannot wait to hear him in other repertoire. Great heart and spirit in these performances, plus the sonics could not be improved upon. I also like the character of this orchestra, probably as shaped/inspired by Sokhiev. Someone--I have forgotten who--once said that all American orchestras sound alike. I tend to agree: they all go for the "polished" sound, which is a sound, when you get right down to it, that really does not have much character. And when you think about it, that is truly weird, as this is the USA, the rowdy, wild USA. Why do all our orchestras try to sound so "refined"? This Toulouse band has CHARACTER, as Morrison has expressed so well, much better than I could express it. Be good to yourself, to your heart and your mind and your spirit and your body, and buy this CD pronto. You will be mighty glad you did. P.S., This recording received the "Editors' Choice Award" from Gramophone Magazine. So if you won't take our word for it here, take theirs. It's magnificent!

If you're like me, you've heard somewhere between one and two dozen recordings of "Pictures." Well, this one made an IMMEDIATE impression on me. First, the sound quality is wonderful. It may be the best-balanced "Pictures" I've ever heard in terms of tone and frequency response, at least on my stereo system. That jumped out at me. But it's the reading that makes an even bigger impression, I think. It's definitely not groundbreaking. He sticks pretty closely to "the book" in the faster and more bombastic sections. Where Sokhiev differs primarily is in the slower sections, where he takes a few more liberties than you'd expect in a first recording. IMHO, it works. It adds a bit to the suspense and drama of the work, making it sound a bit more Russian, perhaps? At any rate, it's a very pleasant "different" that never becomes uncomfortable, and I can really appreciate that in a work that is one of my favorites. As far as the playing goes, it's not as clean as the CSO-Reiner, but there is a fire in it that I find endearing.

Unfortunately, I don't have much to say about the Tchaikovsky. I didn't check this out for that piece and it's not a symphony I'm very familiar with, although it's still very nice and worthy of an attentive listen here.