It was with the Fourth Symphony, a work of radical conception, that Tchaikovsky came into his own as a symphonist. Written during the turmoil of his catastrophic marriage, the work is dominated by a Fate motif symbolising the ‘inexorable power that hampers our search for happiness’. The wildly popular fantasy overture after Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, is captivating and poignant, and one of the composer’s most loved works. These classic Vox recordings by the Utah Symphony Orchestra were originally released in 1974, and remain much admired to this day for conductor Maurice Abravanel’s fresh and direct interpretations.

The Elite Recordings for Vox by legendary producers Marc Aubort and Joanna Nickrenz are considered by audiophiles to be amongst the finest sounding examples of orchestral recordings.

ClassicsToday.com wrote ‘As a Tchaikovsky interpreter, Abravanel was superb, full of good ideas about pacing and balance…a fresh and direct No. 4 (fine string playing in the pizzicato scherzo, and again a very good finale)…and impressively cogent, urgent renditions of the two Shakespeare pieces: Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet’ when reviewing the issue of the complete symphonic cycle by the Utah orchestra and Maurice Abravanel on Vox CD5X 3603.

‘Throughout the set, Vox provides vivid sound, light in the bass at times, but offering an unvarnished picture of an orchestra that could use richer strings and a bit more polish from the winds and brass, but that never waivers in its commitment to the cause. As a complete set of symphonies coupled to a mostly fine selection of other popular orchestral works, Abravanel’s achievement sports more consistency than most, at a price that’s well nigh unbeatable’ – ClassicsToday.com

John Holmes wrote in his cornerstone book Conductors on Record that ‘[Abravanel’s] Vox recordings have resulted in a remarkable range of recorded music…[and is] one of the more enlightened aspects of the recent recording scene in the United States…standard classical repertoire, such as the Tchaikovsky symphonies…are straightforward, clearly executed and absolutely honest…’

The recordings were originally released in 1974 and so are coming up to their 50th anniversary.

2023 is the 120th anniversary of Abravanel’s birth and the 30th anniversary of his death.

In 1947 he was hired as music director of the Utah Symphony, and over the next 30 years raised the ensemble to international prominence, leading the symphony in live radio broadcasts and releasing more than 100 commercial recordings.

He made the first complete recording of Gustav Mahler's nine symphonies by an American orchestra.

Supervised by Marc Aubort and Joanna Nickrenz these Vox recordings are acknowledged as Audiophile classics.