Brahms: The Four Symphonies (NBC Symphony Orchestra Vol. IV) [Original recording remastered]

Johannes Brahms (Composer), Arturo Toscanini (Conductor), NBC Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Orchestra: NBC Symphony Orchestra
• Conductor: Arturo Toscanini
• Composer: Johannes Brahms
• Audio CD (August 10, 1999)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: RCA
• ASIN: B00000JPCE
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #153,102 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Maestro at his best in splendidly remastered recordings, September 15, 2000

By 

Robert J. Cruce (Muskogee, OK United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Brahms: The Four Symphonies (NBC Symphony Orchestra Vol. IV) (Audio CD)

Those of us who purchased these recordings in the earlier BMG series in the early 1990's must have thought as I did that this was all we could hope for in digital transfers. It was crisp and clear but still somewhat hard and oldish in sound. Now with these wonderful new remasterings BMG has really brought the Maestro into our time for a new generation to discover. So much has has been said about these magnificent performances that I can only repeat that the 2nd and 4th are truly great interpretations. This new set is a cause for celebration. No Brahms lover can afford to overlook this generous reissue.

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Clarity of Purpose, July 9, 2001

By 

Hank Drake (Cleveland, OH United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Brahms: The Four Symphonies (NBC Symphony Orchestra Vol. IV) (Audio CD)

I was skeptical when these new CDs were issued. My thoughts were that the early 1990s Complete Toscanini reissue was probably the best that could be humanly done to restore the very pinched and nasal sounding originals. Since I had already bought half of that set, I wasn't about to spend more of my hard-earned money on a marginally improved RE-reissue.

I was wrong. In 1997, RCA totally reorganized and inventoried its massive vaults, which had been in disarray for decades. As a result, many original sources which had been declared "lost" were now "found." This new remastering is strikingly improved sonically over all earlier issues. Utilizing the best technology now available, RCA has also done the right thing by hiring a musician--conductor Ed Houser--rather than whiz-bang technicians to supervise the remastering. The NBC Symphony Orchestra now sounds better than ever before, with greater clarity, smoother strings, fuller winds, and less blotting out during fortissimos.

Perhaps no conductor of the 20th Century has been as misunderstood as Arturo Toscanini, as evidenced by the critical backlash with which he was assailed in the years after his death. That criticism was partly in reaction to the equally unbalanced adulation heaped upon him during his lifetime. I remember once mentioning to an acquaintance my admiration for Toscanini's Beethoven and Brahms, and he shot back, "He conducts everything too fast!" In fact, in comparison with other recordings and broadcasts of his era, Toscanini's conducting was not generally faster than average. In relation to TODAY'S phlegmatic tempos, however, Toscanini's pacing is definitely brisk. But what most people are hearing as fast is, in fact, Toscanini's characteristic rhythmic vitality and, occasionally, drive, which brings the faster movements to sparkling life. In contrast, some of Toscanini's tempos are surprisingly broad, as in the horn-call introduction to the finale of Brahms' First Symphony. Likewise, the slow movements are never dragged, and glow with Italianate warmth.

Toscanini's approach to Brahms' orchestral works was to focus on structural and harmonic clarity. The flabby, soggy approach typefied by many "traditional" conductors was anathema to everything Toscanini stood for. All four of Brahms' Symphonies on these two CDs feature dazzling clarity of execution, where harmonic strands are transparent. Despite his reputation as a literalist, Toscanini was not afraid to fix what he considered problems with orchestration, and there are discreet touch-ups here, particularly in the finale of the First Symphony, where Toscanini has made alterations to the timpani parts, and also in the Third Symphony.

Unfortunately, the Third Symphony presented problems for Toscanini which went beyond orchestration. His several recorded performances of this work run the gamut from rhapsodic to more structural minded, and this performance never quite takes off. He seems to have been more successful performing this work before an audience, and his 1946 live performance (on Music & Arts, coupled with a stunning Second Concerto with his son-in-law, Vladimir Horowitz,) is to be preferred over this version. The other three Symphonies fare well, and remain some of the most compelling accounts of these works ever recorded.

RCA does not credit the liner notes, but they are reprints of Mortimer H. Frank's excellent notes originally written for the early 1990s CD release.

RCA has so far only released Toscanini's core repertoire with the NBC Symphony--but they are more than welcome additions to the catalogue. The Maestro's recordings with the New York Philharmonic, and The Philadelphia Orchestra should also be remastered, post-haste. Then, RCA, which has given us magnificent reissues of Kapell and Rubinstein, should get to work and replace their botched Vladimir Horowitz reissue from the 1990s, using this magnificent Toscanini reissue as a template.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Toscanini's Brahms, January 29, 2002

By 

Hermes Camacho "MusicianHermes" (Boulder, CO) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Brahms: The Four Symphonies (NBC Symphony Orchestra Vol. IV) (Audio CD)

Toscanini is probably known best for his great interpretations of Beethoven, Verdi and Wagner and is often overlooked when it comes to Brahms. For those who have not heard Toscanini's Brahms, this is the set to purchase.

This new set of Toscanini reissues by RCA are by far the best to date. The sound is crisper and clearer then the previous set and this Brahms coupling is no exception. Toscanini's use of the dry acoustics of NBC's Studio 8H shows Toscanini's preference to complete control of every voice in the orchestra. In the Brahms, for example, the inner-voices are very-well heard and the sound overall is very crisp and clean. Among the common misconceptions of the Maestro is his preference for brisk tempi. Though it is true that he preferred a quicker tempo in many works, the brisk quality is attributed to the Maestro's sense of rhythm and drive. One can feel Toscanini's reins on the orchestra.

Probably the most startling tempo Toscanini took is in the First Symphony introduction, where he takes a much faster tempo then in many other German recordings. To my taste, it gives it a greater sense of drive and suspense to the opening. The rest of the movement is crisp and superb, the melody and/or moving lines always clear and the timpani almost always never overpowering the orchestra (generally, a very tasteful timpanist).

The Second Symphony is also wonderful and one may find it surprising that Toscanini took the finale SLOWER then many other conductors would. The orchestra sings quite beautifully in Brahms' most melodious symphony, particularly the First movement's second theme (many have referred this melody a variation on Brahms' famous lullaby).

The third is powerful, though at times the strings tend to be out of sync at times with eachother. The third movement is absolutely beautiful. The fourth movement had a good tempo, but the violins tended to always be slightly ahead of the rest of the orchestra. Oddly enough, the very last pizzicatto at the end of the symphony is not played with the usual Toscanini precision but rather as a broken chord!

The fourth is also wonderful, but seems to be a bit straight forward. The Toscanini magic is not quite in this piece, but is still a great interpretation.

Toscanini's fidelity to the score is seen throughout this work...that is he followed the printed score to the letter, but would change parts to (as the Maestro believed) bring about a better realization of the composer's intentions (Toscanini's most important goal)-- for example, he wrote extra parts for the timpani to play in the First and Third Symphonies.

This is a wonderful recording and is a must for Toscanini fans but also for those looking for a different (sometimes better) and refreshing interpretation of Brahms.