Vasily Petrenko (conductor)

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra

Naxos 8.570568 (2008)

Though live performances are relatively rare, many fine recordings of the

Manfred Symphony are available. Arturo Toscanini’s trail-blazing 1949 recording (RCA), for instance, demands to be heard, despite the savage cuts to the score and lo-fi sound. Gennady Rozhdestvensky, meanwhile, wears his Russian heart on his sleeve in a white-hot reading (Melodyia), and Vladimir Ashkenazy’s debut recording as a conductor with the New Philharmonia (Decca) is another strong candidate. I have a fondness for Constantin