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Saturday, September 30, 2017

Johannes Brahms - Symphonies; Overtures (Otto Klemperer)


Information

Composer: Johannes Brahms

CD1:
  • (01-10) Variations on a theme by Haydn, Op. 56a
  • (11-14) Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68
CD2:
  • (01-04) Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 73
  • (05-08) Symphony No. 3 in F major, Op. 90
CD3:
  • (01)      Academic Festival Overture, Op. 80
  • (02)      Tragic Overture, Op. 81
  • (03)      Alto Rhapsody, Op. 53
  • (04-07) Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98

Christa Ludwig, mezzo-soprano (Op. 53)
Philharmonia Orchestra
Otto Klemperer, conductor

Date: 1954 (Op. 56a), 1957, 1962 (Op. 53)
Compilation: 2004
Label: EMI


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Review

ARTISTIC QUALITY: 10 / SOUND QUALITY: 7

Otto Klemperer’s Brahms needs no introduction. It remains a classic reference edition, one of the very few complete cycles with absolutely no weak links. It’s customary to call these performances “granitic”, an adjective that certainly applies to the First Symphony but doesn’t begin to describe the swift and thrilling finale of the Fourth, the grand but impulsive Third (with its first-movement repeat in place), or the warmly lyrical Second. In general Klemperer’s unsentimental but always gripping approach to this music practically defines the word “idiomatic”. The Alto Rhapsody with Christa Ludwig also is one of the great ones, while the shorter works share the same virtues as the symphonies. The sound shows its age a bit, but it has been well remastered in this latest transfer (which differs only marginally from previous issues). A Great Recording of the Century indeed! [4/28/2004]

-- David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday

More reviews:
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2004/Mar04/Brahms_Klemperer.htm
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Brahms-Symphonies-Nos-1-4-Johannes/dp/B00018GJHY
http://www.amazon.com/Brahms-Symphonies-Variations-Overtures-Recordings/dp/B0001O3Y8A

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Johannes Brahms (7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer and pianist. In his lifetime, Brahms's popularity and influence were considerable. Brahms composed for symphony orchestra, chamber ensembles, piano, organ, and voice and chorus. Many of his works have become staples of the modern concert repertoire. An uncompromising perfectionist, Brahms destroyed some of his works and left others unpublished. Brahms is often considered both a traditionalist and an innovator. His music is firmly rooted in the structures and compositional techniques of the Classical masters, with a highly romantic nature embedded within.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannes_Brahms

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Otto Klemperer (14 May 1885 – 6 July 1973) was a German conductor and composer. He is widely regarded as one of the leading conductors of the 20th century. Klemperer met Gustav Mahler while conducting the off-stage brass at a performance of Mahler's Symphony No. 2, and later assisted Mahler in the premiere of Mahler's Symphony No. 8. He became the first principal conductor of the Philharmonia in 1959, subsequently made many recordings for EMI that have become classics. While adopting slower tempi as he aged, Klemperer's performances often maintain great intensity, and are richly detailed.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otto_Klemperer

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