Customer Reviews

Brahms: Symphonies Nos. 1-4 ~ Celibidache

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

These are of course great performances of these symphonies, but IMO the EMI set with Celi and his Muncherner philarmoniker is absolutly unsurpassed. The Stuggart orchestra is not as good as the bavarian one, and the sound being good is not good enough for what Celibidache demmands. of course these performances being slow are not as radical and metaphysical as the ones from the late 80's and 90's.

It's not right to typify a great musician with a simple tag, but it happens, and as a result Klemperer is known as 'slow' and Celibidache as 'slowest.' However, here in Stuttgart between 1974 and 1978, a decade ahead of the Brahms cycle released by EMI, the tempos are not eccentrically slow. They're on a par with Bernstein's later Brahms cycle from Vienna (also on DG), but in most movements about 2 min. faster than Celi in Munich. Your reaction will depend on whether you find this idiosyncratic maestro better when he's full tilt into his obsessions or only halfway there.

Personally, I like the DG cycle better in that it remains within hailing distance of Brahms' actual tempo indications. The readings are full of conviction, and Celibidache's rubato and highly musical phrasing stand out better when the ear isn't burdened by ultra-slow speeds. A good touchstone is the finale of Sym. #1, where many conductors miss the sense of mystery and anticipation that Brahms builds in the slow introduction. Celi handles it wonderfully, and when we get to the main Allegro, he conducts with plenty of inner life.

There are times when the tempos are relatively alike in both the EMI and DG cycles. The Fourth Sym., which differs by only a minute per movement, shows up some stylistic differences. There's a surging accelerando in the first movement from Stuttgart that's gone in Munich. The finale of the Fourth has more tension in Stuttgart, too. But those who prefer the Munich orchestra and EMI's sonics are right. The Stuttgart radio orchestra is not as good, especially in the solo winds, and DG's sound is serviceable FM stereo, not the studio-quality sound one hears from Bavaria (although it, too, was taped in concert).

Since I mostly care about interpretation, I had no trouble preferring the earlier DG cycle, but I can see how Celi's afficianados could come to the opposite conclusion.

The only promlem here is, how do you choose between the EMI and DG Celibidache/Brahms symphony cycles? They are both amazing accounts of magical music making. I got them both!

Extraordinary music making from the most philosophical of conductors. Celibedache's handling of Brahms's symphonies is masterful in concept and execution. Hours and hours of wonderful listening guaranteed.

The EMI sets of the Munich Philharmonic are generally presumed to be superior to the DGG sets of the Stuttgart Orchestra under Celibidache because of the superiority of the Munich Phil. Certainly David Hurwitz is adament on this point, although the Grammophone Classical Review of the Brahms cycle prefers the Stuttgart version. Having both sets, I can say with certainty that this 3-CD set on DG is Celibidache's finest version of the Brahms cycle for it's lyricism, long line, and orchestral sound. By comparison, the EMI Munich version is sluggish, thick and lacking in those magical moments that only Celi seems to create in abundance in the Stuttgart version. This set joins the great cycles of Walter (NYP, 1951-3), Klemperer (Philharmonia), Sanderling (Berlin), the new one by Bychkov (Cologne) and individual performances of #1 by Furtwangler (Hamburg, 1951) and Giulini (Los Angeles) and #4 Furtwangler (BPO in Wiesbaden, 1949) and Blomstedt (Dresden) as among the greats.

I really enjoy this DG set of Celibidache's Brahms along with the EMI recording, but I appreciate the tempi here more. This Stuttgart recording shows the conductor's attention to phrasing every bit of the way, but has a little more flow and energy than his performances in Munich. With that said, if you get a chance to hear both, definitely go for it. Celibidache and Brahms were one heck of a great match. I have no problems with the sound or the orchestra here. The only thing I might mention, as is the case with many of the maestro's live recordings, is that he had a mighty hard time keeping quiet. You can hear him prodding the orchestra at key moments along the way. Doesn't bother me in the least, although it makes me chuckle a little. I'm just grateful that both the recordings I mentioned were released. You have to hear them to understand. Though Celibidache was famous in later years for slow speeds, I can almost guarantee his Brahms interpretations will lift you to another level.

Not being a Celi`s fan, i think on this Brahms cycle as one of the best
things he left in his records. This is Celi at his best. I cant manage with
his later performances for EMI that i find silly. These Brahms performances
are solid, clear, inspired, colourful and perfectly judged according to the
composer's indications. It deserves a place among the great anthologies, such
as Klemperer, Walter, Sanderling, Levine and Abbado. A safe recommendation.

A PERFECT PERFORMANCE OF BRAHMS SYMPHONIES,, CELIBIDACHE MAKE THE SOUND TOO SLOW AND GLORIOUS .AND I THINK IT'S THE BETTER SET OF BRAHMS SYMPHONIES. P.S:THE SOUND IS FINE