Tchaikovsky: The Tempest; Francesca da Rimini; The Voyevoda; Overture and Polonaise from Cherevichki

by Alpesh Chauhan, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra

Overview

Conductor Alpesh Chauhan, from the same Indo-East African background as British prime minister Rishi Sunak, won various newcomer awards and has been touted as the next big thing on the podium. This release with the BBC Scottish Symphony, where he is the principal guest conductor, marks his recording debut, and curiosity about his talents was perhaps what propelled the album to best-seller charts in the late spring of 2023. Bringing well-known Tchaikovsky and some that are not so well known, Chauhan shows lots of promise. The best thing is that the BBC Scottish Symphony is clockwork perfect in complex scores; the big Allegro of Francesca da Rimini, Op. 32, has all the punch it should have, and the Andante non tanto finale of the less-familiar tone poem The Tempest, Op. 18, hangs gracefully in the air. Still less common are the two excerpts from the opera Cherevichki, which did not have its British premiere until 1993. Tchaikovsky wrote it after traveling to Bayreuth to hear Wagner's music, and the Polonaise is as close to Wagner as anything he ever composed. The program ends with a bang with Francesca da Rimini and opens with the tone poem The Voyevoda; throughout, Chauhan's tempos are on the slow side, and here and elsewhere, the music sometimes loses energy. However, just as often, details of Tchaikovsky's marvelous orchestration are revealed. With fine sound from the Glasgow City Halls, this album stirs the appetite for future releases from Chauhan in other mainstream repertory. ~ James Manheim

Product Details

Release Date:	06/02/2023
Label:	CHANDOS
UPC:	0095115530023

Tracks

1. The Voyevoda, Op. 78
2. La Tempête, Op. 18~Andante con moto -
3. La Tempête, Op. 18~Allegro moderato -
4. La Tempête, Op. 18~Alelgro vivace -
5. La Tempête, Op. 18~Andante con moto -
6. La Tempête, Op. 18~ Allegro animato -
7. La Tempête, Op. 18~ Andante con tanto -
8. Cherevichiki~Overture
9. Cherevichiki~ Polonaise
10. Francesca da Rimini, Op. 32~Andante lugubre - Più mosso -
11. Francesca da Rimini, Op. 32~Allegro vivo -
12. Francesca da Rimini, Op. 32~Andante cantabile non troppo -
13. Francesca da Rimini, Op. 32~Alelgro vivo - Poco più mosso

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Alpesh Chauhan   Primary Artist,Conductor
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra   Primary Artist,Orchestra