This is the first recording made by the Saito Kinen Orchestra, which was formed six years ago in memory of the influential Japanese teacher Hideo Saito, who was the founder of Japan's Toho Gakuen School of Music. Ozawa attended the School, and the orchestra is made up entirely of former pupils and teachers, many of whom are soloists, chamber musicians and members of major orchestras throughout the world. They come together each summer in Vienna for two weeks of rehearsal, and then give five or six concerts (this year they took part in London's series of Promenade Concerts as well as at the Salzburg and Edinburgh Festivals). Last year Ozawa and the orchestra recorded Brahms's Fourth Symphony, and following a recording of the First Symphony this year it is planned to hold sessions for the remaining two symphonies in 1991.
What is immediately apparent from their debut disc is the orchestra's superlative playing in every department. The Saito Kinen players more than hold their own with the world's finest permanent ensembles, and this must surely be one of the best-played Brahms symphonies available. Even more important, to my mind, is the fact that the orchestra performs with tremendous alertness, concentration and enthusiasm. There is very much the feeling of a special occasion, and this is particularly crucial in view of the fact that Ozawa's interpretation of the symphony is very orthodox, objective and straightforward. There's nothing at all wrong with such an approach, but I can't imagine that the performance would have such an impact if played by a permanent orchestra as part of a routine itinerary. But here there is remarkable freshness and spirit.
Ozawa chooses a good middle-of-the-road basic tempo for the first movement, which moves spaciously and felicitously forward, with fine attention to detail, warmth of phrase, and a satisfying sense of structure. There is no lack of tension, but he is content to put the movement before us in a direct fashion without any frills. The slow movement develops in a pleasantly lyrical and relaxed fashion, but the third movement has good attack and plenty of spirit. In the finale Ozawa's approach seems at first a little restrained, a little too objective, but the movement gathers weight and is beautifully brought off as a whole, with a fine, vigorous climax. The recording is big and spacious, though just occasionally my equipment found a slight edge in the upper string sound. The two Hungarian Dances make a satisfying coupling.
Carlos Kleiber's DG performance is a vastly different affair. His interpretation is fiery, subjective and grips the imagination from first to last, even in repeated hearings. His full-price disc only contains the symphony. In his excellent sounding 1955 EMI recording Karajan provides a large-scale, unhurried and architectural approach to the score, with yet plenty of warmth of phrase. This disc is at mid-price and also contains Liszt's Les preludes. Walter's CBS disc is newly reissued at mid-price and contains a superlative Tragic Overture, but the symphony is conducted in slightly sluggish, effortful fashion and shows the great but elderly conductor in less than his best form.'