Gergiev Conducts Tchaikovsky & Beethoven

★Tchaikovsky's "Fifth" performed by Gergiev in his young days. A live recording of a concert held to commemorate Gorbachev's visit to West Germany on June 11, 1989, five months before the fall of the Berlin Wall. It was a performance with the German-Soviet Junge Philharmonic, which was founded by pianist and conductor Justus Franz and brought together talented young players from Germany and Russia, and whose chief conductor was Gergiev, who was appointed artistic director of the Kirov Opera and concurrently served as chief guest conductor of the Rotterdam Philharmonic. Although it was an official government event, Gergiev's tremendous enthusiasm enveloped the young orchestra in front of the audience, and the rawness with which he led the music to its climax was a sight to behold. Includes German and Soviet national anthems. ■2 CD set