Brahms: Serenade No. 1; Dawson; Negro Folk Symphony

Johannes Brahms (Composer), Sergey Prokofiev (Composer), William Levi Dawson (Composer), Howard Swanson (Composer), Leopold Stokowski (Conductor), Dimitri Mitropoulos (Conductor), New York Ensemble of the Philharmonic Scholarship Win (Performer), Symphony of the Air (Orchestra), American Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra), William Masselos (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: New York Ensemble of the Philharmonic Scholarship Win, William Masselos
• Orchestra: Symphony of the Air, American Symphony Orchestra
• Conductor: Leopold Stokowski, Dimitri Mitropoulos
• Composer: Johannes Brahms, Sergey Prokofiev, William Levi Dawson, Howard Swanson
• Audio CD (April 10, 2007)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Deutsche Grammophon
• ASIN: B000M05VMA
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #364,808 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Some very nice things from this odd couple, June 6, 2007

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Santa Fe Listener (Santa Fe, NM USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Brahms: Serenade No. 1; Dawson; Negro Folk Symphony (Audio CD)

I've never seen Stokowski and Mitropoulos paired before, but both conductors were associated with the NY Phil. in the late Forties and early Fifties. This twofer from DG brings together material originally released elsewehre. Anyone who assumes that Stokowski can't touch a score without tricking it out in plush strings and soupy phrasing should hear this lovely Brahms Serenade #1, incongruously paired with a dated American semi-classical work, the folksy but pretty basic Dawson Symphony based on Negro spirituals. In the original CD issue from MCA I threw the Dawson away to keep the Brahms. The "Symphony of the Air" is a moniker briefly taken on by the NBC Sym. after Toscanini died in 1956 and the musicians were thrown back on their own devices.

The Mitropoulos material features two Prokofiev chamber pieces; both are sparkling and vibrant, and the transferred sound is quite good for its age. The Over. on Hebrew Themes, here played in its chamber version, is the best recording I've ever come across. Since the musical groups involved form quite a divrese bunch, here's a run-down:

Symphony Of The Air / Leopold Stokowski - Serenade No.1 in D op.11 (Brahms). New York Ensemble of the Philharmonic Scholarship Winners / Dimitri Mitropoulos - Quintet in G minor op.39. Overture on Hebrew Themes op.34 (Prokofiev). American Symphony Orchestra / Leopold Stokowski - Negro Folk Symphony (William Levi Dawson). New York Ensemble of the Philharmonic Scholarship Winners / Dimitri Mitropoulos - Night Music - Weintraubenmusik (Howard Swanson).

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Don't Forget About Prokofiev, April 17, 2009

By 

Michael E. Shimniok (Littleton, CO USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Brahms: Serenade No. 1; Dawson; Negro Folk Symphony (Audio CD)

I bought this disc to replace an ancient, beat up 1950's Decca LP of the Dimitri Mitropoulos-conducted Prokofiev works (Overture on Hebrew Themes and Quintet in G minor). You may notice this conductor, composer, and composition go unmentioned on the title of the CD itself.

While I continue to find them to be the most interesting and engaging pieces on the disc, the other material is by all means a bonus. I just happen to really dig the Prokofiev works which strike me as a more modern aesthetic than the other pieces. But I would doubt they'd have a universal appeal.

Sonically speaking the entire disc is well recorded with an honest, intimate kind of sound, but without much sense of room acoustics, very different in style from most newer classical recordings.

4 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Brahms and Prokovieff, but skip the American works, August 22, 2007

By 

Brian H. Williams (Manteca, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Brahms: Serenade No. 1; Dawson; Negro Folk Symphony (Audio CD)

The only reason to buy this is the Brahms Seranade. You also get some performances by Mitropolous performing Prokofieff. The other cd is American works by Black composers. If you die without hearing these works, you won't miss anything. They are not bad, but not exactly classics. I can appreciate Stoky trying to promote new works, but they are just mediocre. The good news is that the remastering is excellent. Much better than the old MCA edition from 1989. Not much stereo spread on the seranade, because it's closely miked, but it sounds good. Buy it for the Brahms and Prokofieff, but skip the others.