Customer Reviews

Brahms: Symphonies

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Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) was an enigmatic composer, both in his person and in his music. His music often requires that we tease out its meaning from its motivic and compressed architecture. His life is similarly mysterious and difficult to define. What induces a man as classically handsome as Brahms to hide his features behind a massive patrician beard? Brahms was already the endpoint of the great Germanic musical tradition at the end of the 19th Century. He was the inheritor of a line that begins with Bach, through the Classicism of Haydn and Mozart, culminating in Beethoven, continuing through the Romantic era of Schubert, Mendelssohn and, especially for Brahms, Schumann. Thus, Brahms was a kind of post-modern composer, aware of his position, constantly referring to older styles of music. Part of his enigmatic style is due to this. His relationship with the Schumanns and his life long love for Clara also took its toll on his life. Brahms burnt most of his musical sketches and his letters and papers to insure that the mystery would continue.

Leonard Bernstein chose to record this collection containing Brahm's orchestral symphonic music with the Vienna Philharmonic because of their homogeneous sound. The musicians are similarly schooled and, most important, the majority of their instruments are uniquely handmade: many of them dating back to the era of Brahms. In a strange (but very real) way, this collection presents Brahms played on original instruments, performed in an historically informed fashion. You cannot fail to be impressed how right everything sounds. The strings all have a similar silky sheen. The horns sound restrained and warmer. The winds have a burnished tone; their effect more diffident, less forward. This is a Brahmsian orchestra, without question. Bernstein conducts in typically demonstrative fashion. His tempos are extremely broad (the First Symphony lasts 56 minutes, 12 minutes longer than von Karajan's DGG recording). He is expressive, always emphasizing Brahms' Romantic side. These are passionate, probing performances. Sometimes, Bernstein performs Brahms in these Symphonies as if Brahms were Mahler. It takes a little getting used to. Allegros occasionally sound more like andantes, or even adagios. But once the adjustment is made, the beauty of these performances become apparent and win you over.

These are Bernstein's romantic vision of Brahm's symphonies and no one does the style better. Strongly recommended.

Mike Birman

This particular study of Brahams as offered by the very esteemed members of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, partnered then with Maestro Bernstein, were in magnificent agreement with each other. They were in well disciplined form as one would expect. They were in a rare form with a sense of comradery, dipicting ever so seemingly what Johannes Brahms had intended to be heard and felt as each Symphony had been performed. Begining with the First Sympnony as to where the young Johanness Brahms had showed us a fresh approach to 'Clacicisim', with a hint of what was yet to come, towards the feeling of genuine 'Neo-clacicism', developing towards'Romanticism'. With a sense of fun and laghter, along with times of somber seriousness. Ever so seemingly that each movenment, along with their related eposition sections had they're own story to tell. These performances are a must, if one really wants a very astute and well informed presentation to add a wonderment of enlightenment and knowledge of Brahms, on a very intellectual but not too challenging undersanding of the interworkings of Johannes brahms and the meaning of his music.

Leonard Bernstein was one of the last great conductors and composer to grace a podium. His enthusiasm and understanding of the composers intent rings clear in all four of Brahms symphonies. I own eight different Brahms symphony cycles and Bernstein along with Herbert Von Karajan reign supreme!