Ukrainian themes are at the core of Tchaikovsky’s Second Symphony, the Little Russian, and Karabits—himself a Ukrainian—makes the distinction in the way that he greets them. Notice how he plays up the rhetoric of the first movement, swelling with pride at each big thematic statement. If there’s a single distinguishing feature of this generously filled disc it’s Karabits’s determination to convey the grass-roots spirit of the themes which breathe life into these pieces, be it the little wedding march recalled in the second movement of the Tchaikovsky or the eminently hummable folksong, ‘The Crane’, which so readily transforms into a tub-thumping apotheosis in the finale, piccolo leading the marching band. This is Tchaikovsky’s ‘Great Gate’ to the Ukraine and the parallel is not lost on Karabits. © 2012 Gramophone Read complete review on Gramophone
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