Tchaikovsky Symphony proved to be one of the most thoroughly Russian, i.e. semi-barbaric, compositions ever heard in the city. ... If Tchaikovsky had called his symphony 'A Sleigh Ride Through Siberia' no one would have found this title inappropriate." The British premiere was in June 1893, conducted by the composer, who was attending Cambridge University to receive an honorary doctorate, along with Camille Saint-Saëns, Max Bruch and Arrigo Boito (Edvard Grieg was also honoured, but was unable to attend in person). The hall was filled to capacity, and the symphony received great applause after each movement. A reviewer in Germany in 1897 wrote "The composer's twaddle disturbed my mood. The confusion in brass and the abuse of the kettledrums drove me away!" In spite of its early critical reviews, the symphony has become a staple of the orchestral repertoire, and remains one of the most frequently performed symphonies of the late 19th century. It is also ranked as one of the best of Tchaikovsky's symphonies. Recordings At least 200 commercial recordings exist of this symphony, including: Wilhelm Furtwängler conducting the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra Leonard Bernstein conducting the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (three times—1958 and 1975 CBS/Sony and 1989 live DG) George Szell conducting the London Symphony Orchestra Igor Markevitch conducting the London Symphony Orchestra (recorded Wembley Town Hall, 19–21 October 1963; Philips) Yevgeny Mravinsky conducting the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra Eugene Ormandy conducting the Philadelphia Orchestra William Steinberg conducting the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Gennady Rozhdestvensky conducting the USSR Ministry of Culture Symphony Orchestra Gintaras Rinkevičius conducting the Novosibirsk State Philharmonic Society Willem Mengelberg conducting the Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra Daniel Barenboim conducting the New York Philharmonic and later the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Sir Neville Marriner conducting the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields Herbert von Karajan conducting the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (three times—1966 and 1976 DG and 1972 EMI Classics), and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (1984, DG) Sergiu Celibidache conducting the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra Mariss Jansons conducting the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra Ondrej Lenard conducting the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra Zubin Mehta conducting the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra Valery Gergiev conducting the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra Lorin Maazel conducting the Cleveland Orchestra Pierre Monteux conducting the Boston Symphony Orchestra (recorded Boston 29 January 1959; RCA Victor) Claudio Abbado conducting the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Riccardo Muti conducting the Philharmonia Orchestra Vladimir Ghiaurov conducting the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra Vladimir Ashkenazy conducting the Philharmonia Orchestra Michael