Boult conducts the first movement of the symphony at a fastish tempo, and takes the repeat. The playing is a bit routine, the phrasing somewhat short-winded. In the Adagio he again presses ahead just a little, but otherwise the movement is straightforwardly played, as is the third movement Allegretto. The finale, taken at quite a steady tempo, is somewhat stolid in effect, and the great climax at the end of the work goes for very little. Frankly, this 1971 performance, well recorded, is not a patch on Boult's marvellous, glowing 1953 version in PRT's complete set of the Brahms symphonies (see below), though the LPO's playing there is inferior as is, of course, the mono recording.
Karajan's 1955 recording, also on EMI Studio has amazingly good sound for its date, rich and warm, to complement a broad lyrical, much more satisfying performance than that of Boult on the same label. The phrasing has greater distinction, there's more commitment in the Philharmonia's playing, and there's plenty of excitement in the finale. Boult's account of the Haydn Variations one of his very last recordings, has breadth and justness, but not a great deal of illumination. Karajan has no less than a fine performance of Schubert's Unfinished Symphony as the second work on his disc.'