Our next entry in the #ManfredJourney is one I've listened to many times on account of it's reissue as part of an economical DG Trio set. This 1993 recording comes from the start of Pletnev's conducting career. Pletnev thankfully does not drag his feet in the first movement like so many.

This entry in the #ManfredJourney is special. It’s my first Manfred, the one I checked out of the library as a teen having no idea what it was other than it being by my favorite composer. I hadn’t heard it in over a decade and was unsure it would hold up.

This entry in the #ManfredJourney has a lot to recommend it. Rostropovich is an earnest interpreter and allows the LPO to really strut its stuff. You gotta play the crap outta this music or it dies. The 1976 analog sound has been cleaned up marvelously in the latest Warner symphony box.

Time for another entry in the #ManfredJourney, this time it’s the 1972 Maazel recording with the Vienna Phil. This is a sharp, focused account, minimizing moping and spontaneous rubato. The percussion is really punchy, making it great to play on big speakers.

Time for another entry in the #ManfredJourney, a 1978 recording with Michael Tilson Thomas & the LSO. Playing is at a high standard throughout this virtuosic symphony, but as I listen I find myself less involved in the drama than usual.

I resume my #ManfredJourney with a bit of a curate’s egg: a 1959 Everest recording with the LSO and Sir Eugene Goossens. First of all, the sound quality is great, the best 1959 could offer. However, this performance has similar cuts to Toscanini’s, and they aren’t any more convincing here.

It’s time for the next stop on my #ManfredJourney. Jurowski and the LPO are afforded above average live digital sound. The first mvt is serious without dragging, really cohesive. Clean, charming & speedy scherzo.

My #ManfredJourney continues with a 1988 recording with a less prestigious orchestra, who tries its best to keep up with this difficult score. Lenard manages to keep everything on the rails, and adds some light inflections that grant a fresh feel to the first mvt

The next entry in my #ManfredJourney is a very good one. The drama is faithfully represented throughout, but the real delight is the 3rd mvt, which Nelsons gives a quick, lilting quality that gorgeously enriches the melody.

The next entry in my #ManfredJourney is an exciting live recording from 1961 recorded in remarkably fine stereo. Indeed, with Pristine's remastering, this is easily the best sounding Silvestri Manfred we have.

I respect this #ManfredJourney entry more than I like it. Very beautiful playing, but Kitajenko treats Manfred like a Bruckner symphony more than Tchaikovsky. The structure doesn’t coalesce for me. I’m sticking with something more exciting.

We have a dark horse in the #ManfredJourney. The fiendish difficulty of the music pushes the Utah SO to their limits, but damn if this isn’t an exciting performance. Abravanel coaxes the full gamut of emotions from his players without losing a sense of shape & forward motion.

The next #ManfredJourney entry is mediocre. Mvt 1 doesn’t produce the frenetic drama required to pull this symphony off. Mvts 2 & 3 are much better. Finale almost heats up a few times, but dissipates in the last climax. Better than Bychkov, but still too bland to recommend.

My second #ManfredJourney entry is the opposite of the first: stellar modern sound, but a true dud of a performance. Once I heard the tepid strings that lead to the big theme, I knew I was in for a bad time. This is Tchaikovsky for someone who doesn't like emotionally overwrought interpretations.

I begin my #ManfredJourney with the recording that inspired it, Constantin Silvestri’s 1957 mono account with French forces & my current pick for best Manfred if sound didn't matter. Clear but limited mono, Silvestri has never been more inspired. Makes the work sound inevitable.

I'm moving my #ManfredJourney from Twitter to Bluesky as I evaluate every Tchaikovsky Manfred Symphony recording I can get my hands on.