Tchaikovsky: Hamlet; The Tempest; Romeo and Juliet – review

Simón Bolívar SO of Venezuela/Dudamel (Deutsche Grammophon)Yoking together Tchaikovsky's three orchestral works that were inspired by Shakespeare makes unarguable sense, but it's a surprisingly rare combination on disc. Perhaps the unevenness of the works themselves partly explains that, for while the fantasy overture Romeo and Juliet is one of Tchaikovsky's greatest achievements, the other two works, the Hamlet overture and the early Tempest symphonic fantasy especially, are much more patchy ...

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