Every classical music fan will probably have a collection of Brahm's four symphonies around somewhere, but for tonal clarity, poetic beauty and the milking of every orchestral and melodic subtlety I have heard no better than Karajan's rendition with the BPO.
The first is clear and bright, ... Read review
Advantages: Subtle, Expressive, Beautiful Performances Disadvantages: Pricey but worth the cost
Every classical music fan will probably have a collection of Brahm's four symphonies around somewhere, but for tonal clarity, poetic beauty and the milking of every orchestral and melodic subtlety I have heard no better than Karajan's rendition with the BPO.
The first is clear and bright, with a truly haunting adagio and nice pace to the finale. There are other performances of the 2nd that I prefer, but this gave me new insights into ... ...rather than over-Romanticising Brahms' score. The highlight, however, has to be the tumultuously powerful 4th symphony, in which both form and drama fuse marvellously, especially at the culminating final moments of the first and fourth movements.
Forget the lower rate orchestral versions around the web, this is worth every penny for sheer realisation of musical genius. ... more
Every classical music fan will probably have a collection of Brahm's four symphonies around somewhere, but for tonal clarity, poetic beauty and the milking of every orchestral and melodic subtlety I have heard no better than Karajan's rendition with the BPO.
The first is clear and bright, with a truly haunting adagio and nice pace to the finale. There are other performances of the 2nd that I prefer, but this gave me new insights into the form, Karajan paying particular attention to crisply defined structure rather than over-Romanticising Brahms' score. The highlight, however, has to be the tumultuously powerful 4th symphony, in which both form and drama fuse marvellously, especially at the culminating final moments of the first and fourth movements.
Forget the lower rate orchestral versions around the web, this is worth every penny for sheer realisation of musical genius.
Product Information for "Brahms: Complete Symphonies" »
Product details
Title
Brahms: Complete Symphonies
Composer
Johannes Brahms (1833 - 1897)
Orchestra / Ensemble(s)
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Date of Release
07/04/2003
Recomended Retail Price
14.99 GBP
Label / Distributor
Karajan Collection / Universal Manufacturing and Logistics
Pieces in Set
2
Running Time
3 hours 38 minutes
Genre(s)
Orchestral
Stereo
Stereo
EAN
28947426325
Catalogue Number
474
Work 1
Work Title
Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68
Excerpt(s)
1. Un poco sostenuto_Allegro 2. Andante sostenuto 3. Un poco allegretto e grazioso 4. Adagio_Allegro non troppo ma con brio 5. Alternate movt 2 (initial performing version of movt 2)
Composer
Johannes Brahms (1833 - 1897)
Genre
Orchestral
Date Written
1855-76
Conductor
Herbert von Karajan
Orchestra / Ensemble
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Work 2
Work Title
Symphony No. 2 in D, Op. 73
Excerpt(s)
1. Allegro non troppo 2. Adagio non troppo 3. Allegretto grazioso 4. Allegro con spirito
Composer
Johannes Brahms (1833 - 1897)
Genre
Orchestral
Date Written
1877
Conductor
Herbert von Karajan
Orchestra / Ensemble
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Work 3
Work Title
Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98
Excerpt(s)
1. Allegro non troppo 2. Andante moderato 3. Allegro giocoso 4. Allegro energico e passionato
Composer
Johannes Brahms (1833 - 1897)
Genre
Orchestral
Date Written
1884-5
Conductor
Herbert von Karajan
Orchestra / Ensemble
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Work 4
Work Title
Symphony No. 3 in F, Op. 90
Excerpt(s)
1. Allegro con brio 2. Andante 3. Poco allegretto 4. Allegro
Composer
Johannes Brahms (1833 - 1897)
Genre
Orchestral
Date Written
1883
Conductor
Herbert von Karajan
Orchestra / Ensemble
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
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