Peter Tchaikovsky: Comp Symphonies (Newton Classics Audio 4-CD set)

Igor Markevitch was one of the great Russian conductors of the 20th century. Originally he intended to become a composer, and he studied in Paris under Nadia Boulanger. At this time (1925) he met Diaghilev, who asked him to write a piano concerto and a ballet ‘Rebus’: a superbly spiky work infused with sweet-sour bitonality and rhythmic aggression. Although he had acquired the nickname ‘Igor II’ (the 1st being Stravinsky), he took a conducting courses with Scherchen, and it was this great conductor who persuaded him to take up the profession, and he abandoned composition in the late 1930s.

His conducting style is incisive, with an ability to build and control tension – ideal for Stravinsky and Bartók. His discography is extensive, but among the most highly regarded of his recordings is the cycle of Tchaikovsky Symphonies he made in the 1960s. Sadly these had a relatively short life in the catalogue and this Newton Classics set is a welcome return for these superb performances.