Simón Bolivar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela/ Gustavo Dudamel
Deutsche Grammophon 477 9355 ***

You know what you’re going to get from Gustavo Dudamel and the Simón Bolivar SO of Venezuela: full-on ardency, massive climaxes, and leaps into over-the-top territory that may be the far side of judicious. And, you may think, you know what you’re going to get from Tchaikovsky when he’s fired up by Shakespeare.

After all, there’s the

Romeo and Juliet

fantasy overture for guidance. But Tchaikovsky’s

Romeo and Juliet

is in a different league to his

Hamlet

and

The Tempest

, works which simply don’t have the same level of inspiration, even if their best ideas can be striking indeed. Dudamel’s accounts of the lesser pieces are hot and cold, highlighting longueurs as well as spunkily driven climaxes. The musical tension in Romeo and Juliet is altogether more consistent.

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