Tchaikovsky: "1812" Overture; Romeo and Juliet Overture; Slavonic March; The Tempest. Claudio Abbado, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. DG 289 453 496-2.

Tchaikovsky: "1812" Overture; Romeo and Juliet Overture; Slavonic March; The Tempest. Claudio Abbado, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. DG 289 453 496-2.

Sooner or later all great conductors come to the "1812." It's like an obligation, noblesse oblige, or a hereditary curse. Abbado comes to it rather late, but he now has a magnificent instrument in the Berlin Philharmonic supporting his efforts, so maybe the wait was worth it. The maestro goes for excitement at the expense of much variation or color. There's no denying he works up a good head of steam, but I didn't find the finale as thrilling as under several favorites, Previn or Edwards on EMI or Dorati on Mercury. DG's sound is smooth, though not quite as detailed as the aforementioned issues. No mention is made in the booklet about the cannon sounds at the end; they are not particularly deep, but they are loud and make a good impact.

Accompanying the "1812" are the usual suspects: The March Slav, the Romeo and Juliet Overture, and for good measure the symphonic fantasy after Shakespeare, The Tempest. The March Slav is presented much the same as the "1812," with plenty of gusto. The Romeo and Juliet Overture does more than just emphasize the love theme for a change and comes off the best piece of the album. The Tempest continues to be a lot of "sound and fury signifying nothing," to quote from a different Shakespeare play. Both it and the Romeo and Juliet work were recorded live and show the effects of noise in the background; yet, inexplicably, they appear to have the wider dynamic range of the group. Eliahu Inbal does a good Tempest on a collection of Tchaikovsky overtures from Philips. For the rest, I'd still stick to Previn.