Brahms: Symphony No 1

MAHLER CREATED THIS ON HOLIDAY - SYMPHONY NO.4

Advantages: Varied movements, esp. 1st and 4th. One of Mahler's most popular works.
Disadvantages: 2nd movement a little weak.

to complete it. --- MUSIC --- Mahler himself thought of this work as transparent, relatively brief, and non-aggressive. Comprising of 4 movements, it is fairly short compared to his other symphony's and certainly more upbeat, using only a small section of the orchestra compared to his other works. The first movement would almost look like a pyramid if drawn. The start and end are very gradually built up/down (the same melody used at the start and finish) with the climax of the piece about 10mins in with bells and horns making an appearance. The second movement relies far too much on strings for my liking and lacks the distinctiveness of the 1st movement. The 3rd draws a more subtle manner which makes you believe it is the same as the 2nd at first, but then provides differences to illustrate its superiority; it also leads ...

Puma1000 24.03.2005 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Mahler: Symphony No 4

GUSTAV MAHLER'S LAST- SYMPHONY NO. 10

Advantages: Embodies some of Mahlers most notable music qualities.
Disadvantages: Unfinished.

and Naxos. There are many versions played by various orchestra's and in different decades to choose from, the most recent notable one has been Simon Rattle's Berlin orchestra's performance. Overall if you like Mahler this is a definite buy, if you are new to Mahler get this as part of a compliation package, if new to classical music perhaps sample it before you purchase. --- AVAILABILITY --- There are many labels and different recordings of this that is hard to suggest which one to go for. You can buy it stand alone or as a compilation of Mahlers other music. If you are new to Mahler buy a complilation of his other scores too as he has so many other offerings (Symphony No. 1 is one of my favourites). If you have some Mahler music already then I would suggest the Naxos label which has Symphony No. 10 all on its own for around £5. ...

Puma1000 13.12.2004 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Mahler: Symphony No 10

Tchaikovsky's Fifth Symphony: Refined passion

Advantages: Great passion, beautiful melodies, unrestrained romanticism
Disadvantages: The finale doesn't quite convince in it's purpose

and distinctly external force that crushes our hope with brute force. In the Fifth, Fatum is not quite so overstated, but is perhaps even more terrifying. Here Fatum appears in the form of an idée fixe, a term coined by Berlioz in his Symphonie fantastique for a fixed idea that stubbornly reappears in every movement (a kind of precursor of Wagner's leitmotif). Rather than being a forceful entity appearing amid dreams of happiness, Fatum in the Fifth is more all-enveloping, intruding more subtlely into every germ of our mind. This makes the Fifth perhaps a more refined and less destructive work than the Fourth for casual listeners, but is no less powerful. MINOR CRITICISMS Tchaikovsky set to work on the symphony in May 1888, finishing the score in August of the same year. The work was premiered in St.Petersburg on November 17, 1888 under ...

berlioz 26.08.2005 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5