Symphony No. 4, op. 36 / Romeo and Juliet

"[the finale] has balletic energy and is refreshingly free from vulgarity, In Romeo and Juliet the orchestra is superbly responsive, shaping the love melody with nobility and warmth...The recording has a wonderful sense of depth, with the handover from horns to trombones at the opening of the symphony given thrilling immediacy in SACD sound." BBC Music Magazine, June 2011 ***

"Perhaps the most remarkable things about these performances is their straightforwardness...[Pletnev] is without any quirks or deviations and leads the Russian National Orchestra in passionate and powerful performances, often with tempos quicker than the norm...and conjures compellingly direct accounts that are full-blooded, subtle and finely detailed." International Record Review, May 2011

"Pletnev understands the text [of the Fourth Symphony] completely but he refuses to be drawn emotionally...[He] makes much of the oscillating rhythm which horns and harp develop in the love music [of Romeo & Juliet] and his sumptuous uncovering of harmony at the climax is richly satisfying." Gramophone Magazine, July 2011

To hear such dramatic Tchaikovsky compositions performed by a top Russian orchestra is a real treat, and when the recordings are of such high quality, even more so. The Evening Standard wrote of the Russian National Orchestra's Prom debut; "They played with such captivating beauty that the audience gave an involuntary sigh of pleasure".