Tchaikovsky’s unnumbered symphony Manfred has always defied easy categorisation either as a symphony or a four-movement symphonic poem. Based on a poem by Byron and sharing some similarities with Berlioz’s Harold in Italy, it charts the tempestuous journey of Manfred towards the long-sought peace of death. The rousing Marche slave is a longestablished concert favourite. The much-admired Tchaikovsky recordings of the Utah Symphony Orchestra and Maurice Abravanel – who brought his orchestra to prominence as one of America’s most distinctive and respected – were originally released on Vox in 1974.