Little more than a decade into his international career, Valery Gergiev is being described as "the greatest living conductor." But is he? Let us compare Gergiev's new recording of Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 6 with the Vienna Philharmonic and his earlier recording of the same work with the Kirov Orchestra. The new recording is faster, as much as two minutes faster in the outer movements. But it's not better, no, it's not at all better. Gergiev's current interpretation of the Sixth is not only too fast -- too fast in the opening movement's development, too fast in the Allegro molto vivace's climax, and fatally too fast in the Finale's Adagio lamentoso -- it is too much -- too much in its excessive brilliance, too much in its linear intensity, too much in its dramatic exaggerations, and too much in its emotional pathos. In his earlier recording, Gergiev created a performance of sublime despair. In this recording, Gergiev chews the scenery. It doesn't help that the Vienna Philharmonic now plays with nothing more than its customary virtuosity while the Kirov Orchestra then played with astounding virtuosity and complete dedication. While Philips' sound now is almost supernaturally present, Philips' then was preternaturally warm and real. So is Gergiev now the greatest living conductor? The argument could not be made by the evidence of this recording. But was Gergiev then the greatest living conductor? On the evidence of the earlier recording, the argument could be made.
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