 Un temps menacé de disparition, la phalange de Lugano, créée en 1935 a été heureusement préservée. Elle possède une histoire discographique enviable, notamment sous la baguette du chef allemand qui capta pour Sony et en DVD, l’intégrale des symphonies de Brahms. Nommé principal chef invité de l’Orchestre de la Suisse Italienne en 2015, Markus Poschner a choisi les deux dernières symphonies de Tchaikovski, des œuvres parmi les plus enregistrées de toute la discographie. Un défi relevé avec beaucoup de panache et plus encore d’attention quant aux équilibres d’une écriture qui peut sombrer soit dans une neutralité dommageable ou, pire, une trivialité insupportable. On ne peut que saluer une lecture assez fluide, peu encline aux excès à la fois en matière de tempi et de dynamiques. Poschner laisse respirer les phrases à l’instar de la Valse de la Symphonie n° 5 dont la progression dramatique est fort bien amenée, sans "vagues" surchargées d’émotion. Les climats sont tout aussi réussis dès le début de la Symphonie dite "pathétique". Poschner prend le temps de créer un univers sonore des plus convaincants. Loin des approches décantées de certaines lectures actuelles, mais aussi des effusions parfois extraordinaires des interprètes slaves, cette version offre une vision parfois même intimiste dans l’Allegro con gracia et d’une suprême élégance dans les deux derniers mouvements. (Jean Dandrésy) Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony (1888) dates from a phase in his life when he was already a successful and internationally respected composer. Only in Russia were his new works still frequently the object of fierce criticism, which led the renowned critic Herman Laroche to conclude that in his homeland, he had only been taught how to compose according to expectations. In reality, it was Tchaikovsky himself who, despite his many triumphs, was relentlessly self-critical, often uncertain about the value of his own scores, which he submitted to others for judgement (such as his pupil Sergei Taneyev, whom he trusted). Even as a composer of symphonic music, he did not yet feel genuinely accomplished, although he had already written four great symphonies besides Manfred. Following the Beethovenian model of “per aspera ad astra”, the Fifth Symphony was thus an attempt to purposefully show off his talent to Europe and the world. However, this was somewhat at odds with the composer’s desire to express his inner world and philosophy, which was imbued with pessimism. The theme of fate and adverse circumstances was already central in the Fourth Symphony, and the Fifth also attempts to thematise major existential topics such as life, death, fate and love. Tchaikovsky’s view of fate was wholly undermined by pessimism, but the “per aspera ad astra” model presupposed a triumphant conclusion. This ambivalence led to Tchaikovsky’s dissatisfaction, as he felt that the finale was not sincere or authentic. The entire symphony is, therefore, characterised by a high degree of ambiguity, both on an emotional and psychological level. It is a symphony that is both pessimistic and triumphant.
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