Brahms: Symphonies Nos. 1-4 (Box Set) [Box set, Original recording remastered, Import]

Johannes Brahms (Composer), Günter Wand (Conductor), Hamburg North German Radio Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra), Sinfonieorchester des Norddeutschen Rundfunks (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Orchestra: Hamburg North German Radio Symphony Orchestra, Sinfonieorchester des Norddeutschen Rundfunks
• Conductor: Günter Wand
• Composer: Johannes Brahms
• Audio CD (November 5, 2001)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Box set, Original recording remastered, Import
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: RCA Victor Europe
• ASIN: B00005QHUZ
• Also Available in: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #157,366 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars None More Musical, January 27, 2006

By 

J. F. Laurson (Washington, DC United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Brahms: Symphonies Nos. 1-4 (Box Set) (Audio CD)

I rarely stop looking for perfect performances and have an unhealthy habit of doubling and quintupling up works that I already own. Rarely does a performance come by that is so outstanding, so immediately satisfying all my desires, that I stop looking for new or even different recordings of the works in question. Maurizio Pollini's rendition of the late Beethoven sonatas is one such performance (although it hasn't kept me from amassing some 20-plus versions of each of those sonatas), G.Wand's Brahms is another.

Incredibly musical, these four recordings (in great sound, now that they are remastered) exude a vitality that is beyond words. G.Wand is the ego-less conductor who disappears in the music making, leaving only Brahms and the listener. The result is a most thankful one, indeed. I am nost suggesting you throw away your Abbado, Karajan, Walter and Bohm (the rest can probably go, though) - but these are the performances I always turn to, the ones that never disappoint me, no matter what mood I am in. That's more than I can say about most recordings.

This may sound like hyperbole - but except for the handful of people I know who don't rank this set atop their Brahms collections all others would agree that it isn't.

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Can vary by taste but this set is outstanding IMHO, January 16, 2004

By 

Bigbalagan (Medway, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Brahms: Symphonies Nos. 1-4 (Box Set) (Audio CD)

Brahms (unlike, say Mozart) can be effectively performed in a wide range of styles, so personal taste is a big issue with the various versions of his symphonies. My feeling is that (because of this variability in Brahm's music) a range of performances might be enjoyable. Amongst the ten or so I'm aware of, Wand's is the most satisfying. But I also really enjoy Lennie's versions, even though he is rightly accused of slowing them down almost to a crawl---but they are nevertheless Brahms. If you are looking for a set of the Symphonies, however, you can't do much better than these.

20 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Better fare is available, August 4, 2003

By 

Jeffrey Lee (Asheville area, NC USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Brahms: Symphonies Nos. 1-4 (Box Set) (Audio CD)

The Symphonies of Brahms in particular regularly keep me alert to the possibilities of new and rewarding adventures in discovery and enjoyment. When it comes to sets of these works, it is difficult, of course, to find a conductor who hits a home run by emphatically touching all four bases (symphonies). A number of factors might be responsible for one's falling short. Sometimes, it's the absence of fantasy, inspiration, loving care, revealing colors and nuances or just that "special" feel. In other instances excesses may contribute to nonfulfillment. For example, in the last movement of the First Symphony Wand is somewhat overdriven. At times, he is also choppy. In the Third Symphony's first movement his pace is too fast, and occasionally, as in the First Symphony, he comes down too hard. In the composer's lovely second and third movements, the poetic element is virtually nonexistent, and again, the pace is too swift. Finally, in the last movement Wand permits some mannerisms to stifle the music's continuity. As for his Brahms Second, I find it rather characterless. The second movement reminds me of Szell's--emotionally cool. In the Brahms Fourth, Wand reverts to short changing the music's lyrical element...As sets go, I prefer Jochum/Berlin Philharmonic(mono)in DG's "Originals" series and Klemperer(EMI). I also favor Walter's Columbia Symphony series, though one must purchase four separate discs. Felix Weingartner's collection(recorded from 1938-1940)is consistently superb, but one should be cautioned regarding its dated sound, though it poses no significant problem for me.