If you don't know the piece, may I thoroughly recommend the very Tchaikovskian "Rebirth" Symphony by Karlowicz in the new recording on Naxos conducted by Antoni Wit? Wit and his superb Warsaw orchestra certainly know how this sort of thing goes - they give it the full treatment without lapsing into overblown sentimentality. Wonderful. And what a cheap way of hearing the music! (There's the later and more Straussian "Bianca da Molena" thrown in for good measure, making a great bargain overall.)
PS. The CD was referred to in a previous Karlowicz thread on the VC, but I thought it was worth flagging it up separately.
the Chandos recording of the symphony (Noseda) certainly makes me want to thumbs-up the piece itself :)
The whole nearly 47 minutes lasting symphony is a most delightful listening experience. The first movement presents the listener, after a thrilling, ominous opening, a whole palette of different moods, but the overall impression is rather sombre. The same thing can be said of the beautiful and serene second movement. The third movement features a change in mood. It's a vivid, optimistic short piece, followed by the last movement, with its triumphant coda.
Really a marvellous symphony. What a skillfull orchestrator Karlowicz was.
The incidental music to The White Dove, op. 6, is stunning as well. The Prologue has a catchy theme, while the Intermezzo, a slow movement, is gorgeously serene.
Very well played by the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Antoni Wit. The CD is a winner. Warmly recommended!