BRAHMS Symphonies Nos 3 & 4
The other half of Young’s Hamburg Brahms cycle
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Composer or Director: Johannes Brahms
Genre:
Orchestral
Label: Oehms
Magazine Review Date: 11/2013
Media Format: Super Audio CD
Media Runtime: 74
Mastering:
DDD
Catalogue Number: OC677
Tracks:
Composition | Artist Credit |
---|---|
Symphony No. 3 |
Johannes Brahms, Composer
Hamburg Philharmonic Orchestra Johannes Brahms, Composer Simone Young, Conductor |
Symphony No. 4 |
Johannes Brahms, Composer
Hamburg Philharmonic Orchestra Johannes Brahms, Composer Simone Young, Conductor |
Author: Rob Cowan
Elsewhere, although the symphonies’ varying moods are well captured, I missed a crucial element of clarity. For example, a little beyond the start of the Third Symphony’s repeated first-movement exposition (from, say, 3'19"), the nuts and bolts momentarily loosen, though to be fair these are live performances and one shouldn’t expect too much in the way of tight execution. Still, this is by definition a comparative review and as good as this CD often is (and that magical moment in the Third’s Andante is truly memorable), there’s better on the market with, for this particular coupling, Karajan’s 1977 recording, Wand and the much underrated Edouard Lindenberg vying with the best for persuasiveness and conviction. It’s basically a matter of secure focusing. For much of the time these performances project their arguments as if from behind a subtle veil, which is not what you need – and isn’t entirely the fault of the (generally acceptable) recording.
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