Symphonies Nos. 1-3

Igor Markevitch's Tchaikovsky performances have been among the best since the early '60s. He turned the unruly London Symphony Orchestra into a first-rate Tchaikovsky ensemble, in which a finely disciplined approach to rhythm provides the perfect foundation for some highly expressive music-making. The neglected Third Symphony is particularly cogent and exciting in Markevitch's hands. No lover of this composer should miss hearing these terrific discs. --David Hurwitz