Customer Reviews

Brahms: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 3

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'm a student with a shortage of spending money, so in a weird way it's unfortunate when a great CD gets released that I just have to buy. This is one of them. Conductor Marek Janowski leads performances of these two symphonies which are among the best we'll ever have, in pristine new sound quality.

Marek Janowski has a terrific sense of rhythm and an ear for hidden detail, and as a result these performances are terrifically snappy and atmospheric. Consider the first movement of the Third Symphony; it's driven forward by the force of a powerful basic tempo and careful attention to the contrapuntal parts upon which Brahms places so much emphasis. The finale, too, is propelled forward with unstoppable momentum, and the same could be said for the end of the Second Symphony, in a performance every bit as thrilling as the grand old renditions of Arturo Toscanini.

Indeed, the Second is a landmark success. It's hard to walk a fine line here between draining the music of its lyricism on one hand, and putting your audience to sleep on the other. (As far as sleep goes, one of the main themes is a variant of Brahms' famous lullaby...) Marin Alsop's CD a couple years ago, though much cheaper than this, nearly put me to sleep as Alsop wallowed and wallowed through a first movement lasting twenty-one minutes. Janowski and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, by contrast, maintain the balance perfectly, delivering by virtue of attention to detail and - again - a simply great sense of rhythm.

It should be noted that the sound quality is fabulous. I listened over the Internet via Naxos Music Library, and have yet to purchase the physical CD, but it was clear to me how well PentaTone has captured the presence of the orchestra. Even the basses are well-represented in the balance, and make some thrilling contributions. The Pittsburgh Orchestra plays beautifully throughout, even perfectly, with terrific solos in the slow movements and white-hot intensity in the finales.

If you've never heard these symphonies before, this is the place to start; if you have, though, this new disc probably surpasses the competition in its sound quality. And there are many details of the orchestration - which now convinces me more than ever before - which I'd never heard before until listening to these performances. In short, for Brahms fans, this disc is a must-have.

Unlike the previous reviewer (Shine), I adore Brahms's symphonies but unlike many who do I love the Second and Third more than the more generally favored First and Fourth. Also unlike that reviewer I found the sound on this CD to be marvelous. It is recorded in a chocolaty yet utterly clear sound which one can hear in both the SACD and plain stereo layers of the CD. The sound here is easily the equal of the Pittsburgh's and Janowski's earlier recording of the First Symphony. Brahms: Symphony No. 1 in C minor; Haydn Variations [Hybrid SACD]

The Second Symphony is a marvel of concentrated construction, taking for its main melodic cell that almost nondescript opening bass line - D C# D then down to A - which shows up in every imaginable guise throughout the entire symphony. In this marvelous performance Janowski manages one of the trickier moments in all of Brahms. He is able to make clear, in the first movement's coda, Brahms's marking of 'sempre tranquillo' without altering the tempo. Most conductors put on the brakes here and mess up Brahms's carefully considered momentum. The second movement, Adagio non troppo, is marked by some scrumptious playing by, among others, the solo horn, oboes, bassoons, clarinets and flutes. The Pittsburgh play this movement in a slightly darker tone than that of the sunny first movement, surely precisely what Brahms intended. The third movement is one of Brahms's characteristic genial scherzos with its old-fashioned almost rustic feel. Its gemütlich character is caught marvelously by Janowski and the Pittsburgh. The Second's finale, Allegro con spirito, opens with a misterioso sotto voce rush which leads to a spirited movement laced with dollops of Gypsy music so typical of Brahms's final movements. Listen for the brilliant but sparing use of the trombones in this movement. A lovely recording of a lovely symphony.

The première of Brahms's Third was one of his greatest triumphs, in spite of some hissing by the Wagner partisans in the audience. The larger part of the audience's spirited response gave Brahms pause and he wondered if he had unwittingly pandered to the tastes of the masses. Certainly this is a masterpiece whose construction is one of Brahms's subtlest, not the least because the symphony, after struggles, ends with hard-won calm or even resignation rather than jubilant triumph, among the first symphonies to do so. The symphony begins with an assertive statement that many conductors tend to make too broad, in spite of Brahm's marking it 'con brio.' Janowski and the Pittsburgh play it slightly less brightly than I might have preferred but this is about the only criticism I have of their performance of the first movement. If you want to hear wind playing of utmost subtlety, listen to the first section of the Andante. This is the winds' moment to shine as the strings don't enter for many measures at the beginning of this movement. In the third movement, Poco allegretto, the cellos have their moment, too, when they open the movement with one of Brahms's loveliest melodies, later taken up by the entire orchestra. This might be the moment to comment that the Pittsburgh is in particularly fine shape currently and nowhere is this more evident than in this lovely movement in which each section of the orchestra has its opportunity to shine. The symphony's finale quotes all the preceding movements and after several minutes of development it gentles down to a lovely glowing aura that always reminds me of a sunset. Another lovely performance.

These are marvelous performances of marvelous symphonies. And in marvelous absolutely up-to-date sound in both the SACD and stereo layers.

A strong recommendation.

[Note: The wrong orchestra and conductor are listed for the sound samples from this CD.]

Scott Morrison

Marek Janowski's recent Pentatone recording of the Brahms 2nd and 3rd symphonies with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra may be the best I've ever heard with an American orchestra. It is definitely among the finest recent ones I am familiar with, comparing favorable with those from Marin Alsop and the London Philharmonic Orchestra and, especially, Bernard Haitink and the London Symphony Orchestra. Janowski's rich interpretations of both symphonies, especially the 2nd Symphony, is richly dark chocolate - to quote from a previous reviewer's observation - in tone. Surprisingly, I found his interpretation of the 2nd Symphony slightly more rewarding than Haitink's - whose recent 2nd Symphony recording I regard as the one to be measured against others - especially in his handling of the brooding, haunting qualities of the first movement. In both symphonies Janowski excels in obtaining exceptional solo work from the winds and strings; overall the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra's playing in both symphonies is as splendid as any I have heard from Europe's great orchestras, with perhaps, the notable exceptions of Karajan's and Abbado's Berliner Philharmoniker and the Wiener Philharmoniker under the batons of Bohm and Bernstein. Without question, I highly recommend this recording as a primary recommendation for either of Brahms' symphonies, to be collected along with Haitink's quite commendable LSO Live cycle from earlier this decade.

Listen to these two symphonies. Propulsive rhythm, drive, energy, clean lines, beautiful/natural sound. I love Brahms symphonies. I have listened to many. Up til now, I have found Walter & Klemperer the best in 1st. Walter best in 2/3 and Kleieber & Klemperer best in 4.

I find these accounts of Brahms 2/3 by Janowski gives Walter a run for his money. I don't think you'll be disappointed and in fact may find the best version of Brahms 2/3 symphonies you've ever heard.

I can see one wanting a more caressing, loving touch in the first two movements of the 2nd symphony as Janowski comes off as a bit matter-of-fact, a tad too objective. But the third movement has a surprisingly 'puckish' quality to it. After that everybody involved sounds right at home in the finale's usual, 'race to the finish' (excellent tuba!). From there, Janowski and his athletic Pittsburgh musicians turn in a thoroughly idiomatic and stunning performance of the third - arguably Brahms' best symphony. Brahms' autumnal sounding third movement (of the 3rd symphony) receives a terrific solo from Pittburgh's principal horn, William Caballero. If only Janowksi had displayed a tad more warmth earlier on, praise might be more unanimous for this release. If you're more in tune with Brahms' 2nd symphony, you might want to stick to the Karjan/DG release of these same two symphonies. But Karajan always left out the exposition repeat in the 3rd symphony. Here, Janowski takes the expo. repeat, which is so essential to the balance of the first movement (why would you leave it out?).

Throughout, Pittsburgh conjures up a dark, chocolate-y tone quality that's so appropriate for the Austro/German standards (obviously, Heinz Hall is a big factor in that). Yet, Janowski consistently brings out the underlying, pulsating rhythms that help propel Brahms' sometimes excessively thick, dark textures along. That also helps to keep the music from sounding as though Janowski just wants to get it over with. It's not terribly unlike what a rhythm guitarist does in a rock band, I suppose. Pentatone's stunning recording captures the fat yet quiet sound of the contrabassoon, which is often times so elusive on most recordings (I know it's a small detail, but the third has a great contrabassoon part).

I can't comment on the sacd portion of this disc, as I very rarely ever us my sacd player (not a big fan). But the regular cd layer sounds excellent. Bottom line: if you love Brahms 3, get this disc. If Brahms 2 is more to your liking, stick to the Karajan.

I heard these symphonies recorded live. I have season tickets. The orchestra is playing its heart out and the 5.1 recording method is spectacular. The musicians love it because it sounds so real and so detailed. Thrilling, beautiful music, well played and well conducted.

Janowski has recorded the Brahms symphonies complete on a previous occasion. He was then a hungry, young maestro out for conquest in the world of international conductors. Having made his name in opera (with the only modern recording of Weber's Euryanthe), the symphonic repertoire was beckoning, and he got his chance in Liverpool. It was hardly a brilliant achievement; but you don't look for brilliance in Brahms anyway. It was good, sensitive, well-recorded and beautifully crafted - something you could live with beside (and on account of the sumptuous sound) perhaps even in preference to many other good, well-crafted recordings.
He is now an established figure. Perhaps he thought of himself as a more mature musicians with deeper insight into Brahms. Who knows why conductors re-make their really good recordings? But the results are not encouraging. In a market already oversaturated with Brahms symphonies, these are dispensable performances: routine, solid, unadventurous, unimaginative, although well-crafted again. The earlier set was much better - at least a fresh perspective on a familiar classic.
Although I write this for the present album of Nos. 2 & 3, it applies to all three of these albums
My last objection will have some bearing on the matter of the sound itself. It is claustrophobic. There is no air around the music; the impression is of a small dull enclave in which musicians play, while the echo comes from beyond. Not very pleasant. True: you can hear the woodwinds clearly, but this is not the engineer's responsibility, but the conductor's. And it's small compensation for the artificial aural perspective and the unnatural string sound. The earlier set, made in Liverpool, is far superior in this respect. Indeed the Pittsburgh Orchestra was better recorded in the Sixties - check out the Emperor Concerto with Firkusny and Steinberg to get a whiff of how good this orchestra can sound when the engineers just do their job of recording, instead of playing Walt Disney tricks on the ambience.

Digital recordings are clearly (in both senses of the word) superior to the older LP recordings and their master tapes. Orchestral musicians play with greater accuracy and polish than those of two generations ago. This recording illustrates both of those improvements as well as other modern virtues. Janowski's tempos follow "the book" just as they're supposed to. The playing is loud when it should be loud, and soft when it should be soft. The playing is faultless, the intonation perfect, and the recording so vivid and detailed that the listener can almost identify individually each of the 90 or so musucians in the orchestra.

So why do so many reviews of the Brahms symphonies bemoan the unavailability of the wonderful Steinberg recordings of these same pieces, made more than 40 years ago? Why are the performances by Szell, Klemperer, and Walter still so popular?

It isn't hard to answer those questions if you compare these Janowski performances with those done by the conductors mentioned above. Janowski, at least by the evidence of these recordings, is a technician. A masterful technician, but a technician. A technician is not a musician!

Particularly in Symphony #2, I hear no passion and no love. It's hard to imagine Janowski OR any of his listeners being swept into the wonderful frenzy of joy with which this symphony ends when it's played by musicians instead of technicians. There is nothing here but notes. Where is the heart?

The Third Symphony is a better performance than the Second, but I think that's more a consequence of the music itself than of the performance. The Third Symphony plays itself; if the conductor and orchestra observe the notes, the dynamics, and the tempos conscientiously, the performance will come out OK. I still don't hear the sheer love for the music in the Janowski performance that I hear from Szell, or my favorite recording of the Third by Sanderling. But at least this one doesn't have the autopilot character that destroys any enjoyment I could have derived from the accompanying performance of Symphony #2.

So, if accuracy, cleanliness of sound, and modernity are what you're looking for, then you should buy this recording. But if you want true joy when you're listening to music (and I can't imagine why you would want to listen to music for any other reason), then listen to Szell or Kertesz for Symphony #2 and Szell or Sanderling for #3.

Or better yet, write to every record company in the world and threaten to organize a boycott of all classical recordings until the Steinberg set is made available.

Marek Janowski and the Pittsburgh Symphony have produced a solid recording of Brahm's 2nd and 3rd symphonies. But 'solid' is as far as I will go. I think it's great to hear the inner layers of an orchestral work because this adds depth and character to the interpretation, but if the spirit of the reading of these symphonies takes second chair to its technical attributes, what's the point?

My point here is that I am spoiled. I have the complete MCA digital transfer from 35mm recording tape to CD of the Brahms symphonies with Steinberg conducting the Pittsburgh Symphony. The 2nd is probably the greatest rendition ever recorded by ANYONE. The 3rd a lyrical treasure. So what does Janowski do here that would merit the acquisition of this performance? Not much. The fact that the Pittsburgh Orchestra cannot seem to stop re-recording stuff: Tchaikovsky 4th - Steinberg, Previn, Brahms symphonies - Steinberg, Janowski, Handel's Water Music - Steinberg, Previn, you get my drift, maybe shouldn't mean anything, but it does. If anyone has ever heard Steinberg's Brahms, then one would have high expectations for a "remix", but Janowski's effort is too dry and often overly percussive (Toscanini style - OUCH!)

The greatest moments from either of the Janowski's Brahms discs are variations 7 (glorious horn work), 8, and 9 from the Haydn variations.
On the whole the tempi are too slow and and interpretations seem to lend more weight to the conductor's lack of passion instead of the orchestra's prowess. This is the same orchestra that recorded that magnificent Shostakovich 8th with Mariss Jansons???? Not under Janowski it isn't.

They're good Brahms recordings, but they simply do not compare to Steinberg's and no amount of exceptional, digital recording production can make a recording more pleasurable than it actually is.

I'm not a big fan of Brahms' orchestral music - it's hard to put my finger on what it is, it's just that the texture of it doesn't "sound right" in the way Beethoven or Mahler or Sibelius "sound right" - you know when there's something like a little flute trill and it just sounds like absolutely the right thing to have at that point, well I often don't feel that with Brahms. Many will of course disagree, but there it is. Anyway, had I not been given a copy of this disc, I wouldn't have bought it - I have recordings of the symphonies already. So the test was, would Marek Janowski change my mind? My first reaction was no. Having been unimpressed by Symphony 2, I put on my Philadelphia/Ormandy recording as a comparison. A huge difference, thanks largely to the sound. The 60s recording is brash and full of body, while Pentatone's is smooth and to some extent homogenized, and significantly quieter. Aside from this last point, it's not that there's anything wrong with the sound as such. The issue I have with it is that the end result is that Janowski's reading is more laid-back - which is a problem if like me you find the symphony rather dull to begin with. So yes, it's my fault, basically. Turning to Symphony 3, with an idea now of what to expect and with the volume cranked up a couple of notches, I rather enjoyed this one, although part of it is of course that I find it an inherently more enjoyable piece of music. Overall I'd give the album 3 and a half stars - 3 and 4 for the respective symphonies - but I'm more inclined to mark up than down so 4 stars it is. If you don't have as many issues with the second symphony as I do then you'll probably like it more.