They seek him here, they seek him there. Everybody wants Vasily Petrenko, the blond, galvanising young Russian who, in two years as principal conductor, has transformed the artistic profile of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, a talented outfit that had been languishing for too long on the Mersey without inspiring leadership.

So all praise to the budget label Naxos for signing a deal with the orchestra and their Russian wizard for a series of major recordings. This Tchaikovsky CD is just the trailblazer. Liszt’s piano concertos, with the little-known Eldar Nebolsin, follow. Then Petrenko sinks his teeth into a complete Shostakovich symphony cycle – an exciting prospect to be completed in five years, just after his Liverpool contract ends.

Tchaikovsky’s Manfred Symphony, recorded in Liverpool in June last year, presents abundant evidence of the orchestra’s new glory. Feel that crackle of electricity. Listen to the woodwinds’ bright dexterity in the water sprays of the second movement, the strings’ ravishingly controlled pianissimo at the movement’s close, or the fat confidence of the brass. Throughout, the orchestra’s ensemble spirit is so tight that you could cut yourself on the music’s edges. Note, too, the Philharmonic’s rousing organ, crucial in the symphony’s bulging finale: a very satisfying sound.

But the playing on this disc goes beyond polished, red-blooded music-making. Call it taste and intelligence. This programmatic symphony, inspired by Byron’s poetic drama about an outcast wandering to his death in the Alps, belongs in the hothouse corner of Tchaikovsky’s works. An overmelodramatic or neurotic conductor – no need to list names – can make its weaker portions uncomfortably ludicrous.

Petrenko, bless him, keeps a level head. He makes no attempt in the climax of the problematic finale to raise the dynamics to a level to match the absurd quadruple forte marked in the score. At all points, any vulgar underlining is avoided: Tchaikovsky’s turmoil, passion and sweat come across quite clearly enough through the orchestra’s rhythmic drive, textural clarity and Petrenko’s tight grip on phrasing.

He makes just as good a case for the CD’s filler, the symphonic ballad The Voyevoda, 11 minutes of love, jealousy and death (a typical Tchaikovsky cocktail). Watch out for more Petrenko magic on Naxos.

To order Tchaikovsky - Manfred Symphony £5.99 call 0845 6026328 or click here to order online.

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