"I could not resist this, our old friend Seiji in recordings from 1974, reissued in super audio digital sound. The performances are delightful, very smooth and Viennese, which makes sense. Considering that Ozawa was a Karajan protégé. He makes the “pathetique” parts of the Sixth Symphony positively drip with anguish and angst. As for the sound, you can hear all that bass growling and the tam-tam in the final movement as if it were inside your head.”
---T. Hashimoto, The San Francisco Examiner


“Seiji Ozawa, conducting the Orchestre de Paris, is up to his usual style and flair in a sterlig interpretation of Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 6, the "Pathetique." He manages the big climaxes, like the mid-movement forte in the opening movement, and the incredible mood swings in Tchaikovsky's score with consummate (and deceptive) ease. Even in fast company, this is a memorable "Pathetique."
On the same SACD is Nutcracker Suite No. 1, a piece that I would personally like to see retired from concert life for a while so we could experience it with fresh ears. Also, the suite doesn't tell you much about the ballet itself. Being a divertissement of "characteristic" dances, the composer could have located it in any of his other ballets and we'd have been none the wiser. Still, the charming Arabian Dance, as heard here, is almost enough to make a believer of me.”
---Dr Phil Muse, Classik Reviews (May 2003)