Tchaikovsky: Symphony No 5 / Romeo and Juliet

"There are recordings of Tchaikovsky's "Pathétique" that wring every last drop of gloom from the music. But I'm not sure that makes them more affecting than this intelligent, beautifully paced performance...Nelsons makes the groping emergence of the first movement cohere with almost Beethoven-like purposefulness, and he brings out the balletic grace of the music." (Daily Telegraph)

"Nelsons and the CBSO respond to the Pathétique symphony's mood of fate-shrouded tragedy in a way that's lyrical rather than melodramatic...Even among the formidable recorded competition, the CBSO's classy, supple playing is a major asset, reflecting Nelsons's impressive influence."
(Classic FM)

"Nelsons's conception of the first movement leaves nothing to chance. Sombre but never earthbound, the slow introduction leads seamlessly to a first subject whose fugitive progress is the more ominous for its understatement."
(International Record Review)