BSO/Zinman - Tchaikovsky's Fourth Symphony (Telarc)

The sumptuous playing, coupled with conductor David Zinman's grand architectural overview, certainly makes a monumental impression in the Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture. The thunderous timpani, beefy brass and slamming cymbals all have great impact, especially when recorded in such detailed sound, while the violins play the love theme with melting portamento and lyricism, barring the odd moment of squally vibrato.

But lacking is Russian fervour. At the work's start, the orchestra keenly trot through the spooky woodwind chords and brush over the craggy string entries, which emerge tentatively from rather than penetrate through the murky texture: immediately tension, so vital here, is lost. The 'fight' music is technically splendid, but it can plod at a slow tempo and too often lacks spontaneous anger and venom; the conductor produces a big-boned, superficially impressive sound but does not conjure any true dramatic impetus. This is a darkly hued, specifically Russian score, yet here it never grabs the listener by the throat.

Similarly in the Fourth Symphony, the sound world is more cosmopolitan than Russian. Tchaikovsky's work, completed in 1878, is famously imbued with the idea of Fate, which takes the form of a violent trumpet fanfare, coming first at the Andante sostenuto's opening. In this performance, the recurring motif is consistently vibrant and arresting, while the clarinet, flute and bassoon solos are evocatively played. But is the development section ever quite turbulent enough? The unstable string theme expands and contracts, but its shuddering tension is understated.

Once one's ear has adjusted to the performance style, there is a lot to enjoy. The Andantino is magical, with hushed, layered textures of high violins and deeply resonant timpani and brass. The Scherzo's famous string pizzicati are a model of delicacy, and momentum is always sustained through attention to instrumental interplay. The brash opening chords of the Finale crash imposingly in, and the movement's tumbling string runs are most exciting, while the Russian folk song second theme is pleasingly nuanced. But is Fate's arrival imposing enough? If not, Zinman's maniacal interpretation of the concluding bars seems misplaced. But then, however misplaced, such technically secure playing does thrill the ears. It's a very mixed bag.

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