Tchaikovsky Symphony 5 – Terje Mikkelsen

Tchaikovsky’s Fifth conducted by maestro Mikkelsen

Written during a terrific and frightening storm and recently after the death of one of Tchaikovsky´s friends, his “Symphony no. 5” indeed has the emotional context that reflects the soul of a man in a time of deep crisis. The opening theme is generally assumed to relate to Providence. It permeates the whole work and reappears in each of the Symphony´s other three movements. It interrupts the calm of the beautiful slow movement, makes a brief appearance in the Waltz that forms the third movement and returns triumphantly in the major key for the Finale. Tchaikovsky himself had his doubts about the finale, but the musical world has long ago decided that the Fifth Symphony is not only a great symphony but one of the best-loved in the repertoire.

It is The Ukranian State Symphony Orchestra and conductor Terje Mikkelsen, who have done the magnificent rendition of Tchaikovsky´s Fifth Symphony on this recording. Mikkelsen has worked closely with the orchestra since the late 1980s, an orchestra which is a true propagandist of the classic heritage and modern music, and has been its artistic director and principal conductor. Terje Mikkelsen has previously released three albums on Simax Classics, in collaboration with The Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra, with music by Edvard Grieg.