Brahms: Alto Rhapsody / Symphony No. 2, Opp. 53,73 [Import]

Marjana Lipovsek (Artist), Johannes Brahms (Composer), Claudio Abbado (Conductor), Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (Orchestra), Ernst Senff Choir (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Ernst Senff Choir
• Orchestra: Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
• Conductor: Claudio Abbado
• Composer: Johannes Brahms
• Audio CD (January 11, 1990)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Dg Imports
• ASIN: B000001GB5
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #191,075 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Abbado does it again, January 30, 2001

By 

Jonathan Toren "WKCR-FM" (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Brahms: Alto Rhapsody / Symphony No. 2, Opp. 53,73 (Audio CD)

Abbado proves again in this recording that he is the world's foremost interpreter of Brahms. He and his great orchestra create an incredible lush sound that is perfect for Brahms. The first movement is achingly beautiful and the finale is thrilling, despite the fact that the speeds are somewhat relaxed. My only reservation when it comes to this cd and the others in the set is that there is a little too much echo in the recording. While on the one hand this adds to the richness of the sound, on the other hand it sacrifices a degree of clarity at some points. The beautifully-sung Alto Rhapsody is a great bonus, and the Variations on a Theme by Haydn (that isn't really by Haydn) is also richly played. On the whole, a great cd.

3 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Brahms is sure-fire, but this has no fire, September 23, 2005

By 

Santa Fe Listener (Santa Fe, NM USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Brahms: Alto Rhapsody / Symphony No. 2, Opp. 53,73 (Audio CD)

In the modern era, with such good orchestral musicians everywhere, it's hard to find a bad Brahms Second. This one takes off in the last momvement after more or less coasting through the first three. The opening minutes foretell the rest, with Abbado's soft-grained rhythms, smooth sonority, and lack of strong emphasis. Even when he's doing a very good job at balances and the Berliners are playing gorgeously, Abbado tends to be foursquare in his approach to Brahms, and that can be pretty detached, as witness most of this CD. The best that can be said is that it's melifluous (to a fault) and represents a band of world-class musicians.

Lipovsek had a short-lived fling at recording, although given her sharp tone, Slavic shrillness on top, and absence of interesting ideas, I don't quite see why she achieved any prominence. Here in the Alto Rhapsody she is cautious and underpowered, which isn't competitive in a work that has seen glorious performances from Ferrier, Ludwig, and Baker.

P.S. 2012 - At amazon you take your lumps, for the most part, because you don't award enough stars to please the crowd, but on relistening to this Brahms Second, I feel that I lived up to my obligation to describe a performance with some objectivity.