Brahms: Symphony No. 4; Beethoven: Egmont Overture

Ludwig van Beethoven (Composer), Johannes Brahms (Composer), Fritz Reiner (Conductor), René Leibowitz (Conductor), Royal Philharmonic & Ambrosian Opera Chorus (Performer), Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Royal Philharmonic & Ambrosian Opera Chorus
• Orchestra: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
• Conductor: Fritz Reiner, René Leibowitz
• Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven, Johannes Brahms
• Audio CD (June 23, 1994)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Chesky Records
• ASIN: B000003GCQ
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #343,200 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Egmont Overture

2. Symphony No. 4 In E Minor: Allegro non troppo

3. Symphony No. 4 In E Minor: Andante moderato

4. Symphony No. 4 In E Minor: Allegro giocoso

5. Symphony No. 4 In E Minor: Allegro energico e passionato

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great Reiner Brahms 4th!, April 21, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Brahms: Symphony No. 4; Beethoven: Egmont Overture (Audio CD)

After the loss of their long-time music director, Sir Thomas Beecham (March, 1961), the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra embarked on a series of recordings of classical music's warhorses in 1962 for Reader's Digest. These included big-name conductors such as Reiner, Jascha Horenstein, Charles Munch, Sir Malcolm Sargent, Sir Adrian Boult, and maybe another name or two I cannot remember. This recording was available only in the Reader's Digest box set until it made it briefly on RCA's Gold Seal budget LP label in the late 1970's - early 1980's. It took the small enterprising label of Chesky to obtain the rights and reissue this recording and some of the other Reader's Digest recordings on CD, and the results are interesting.

While a great recording performance-wise, recording producer Charles Gerhardt's and engineer Kenneth Wilkinson's approach toward recording Reiner in London's Walthamstow Town Hall is significantly different than Richard Mohr and Lewis Layton in Chicago's Orchestra Hall. There is a decidedly more distant perspective adopted by the Englishmen than their American counterparts. While this does simmer down the large orchestral sound of Mohr/Layton, the one advantage is that a bit more spatial clarity and proper aural perspective among greatly-contrasting instruments (such as a trombone vs. a flute) is realized.

The difference between the regular Chesky CD and their gold CD as far as this recording is concerned is minimal, compared to two silver and gold CD Reiner/CSO recordings by RCA that I have of the 1954 Zarathustra and Pictures at an Exhibition. In these two Chicago recordings the difference between the silver and the gold CDs, is more pronounced (with the gold being better) in the Mohr/Layton approach to recording than in the Gerhardt/Wilkinson approach.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly warm Reiner performance!, July 30, 2001

By 

Brian H. Williams (Manteca, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Brahms: Symphony No. 4; Beethoven: Egmont Overture (Audio CD)

Fritz Reiner, that tyrant of the conducting world, is usually known for his straight, business like manner of conducting. So here is a Brahms filled with warmth and emotion. What makes this performance so thrilling is that Reiner did not impose his Chicago Symphony sound on the Royal Philharmonic. The Royal Phil sounds warm and spacious. Chesky's remastering is outstanding. It sounds better than all of the modern digital recordings. This recording has a warmth and spaciousness not found in todays recordings. Reiner's brass is so strong and present. It's almost as if the engineers has placed microphones under the bells of the trombones! This recording was made in 1961, and shortly after this recording, Reiner suffered a heart attack and would pass in 1963. This recording serves as a great testimony to what great conductor Reiner was. Essential!!

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brahms not loved to death, but, April 12, 2001

By 

Gregory M. Zinkl (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Brahms: Symphony No. 4; Beethoven: Egmont Overture (Audio CD)

played like you've never heard it before!

It sounds like a really young person on the podium, what with all the fire that the Royal Phil gives. But it's not all cinder and ashes: there are some surpassingly beautiful moments.

The tempi are quicker than in a lot of recordings--or at least they sound that way. If memory serves, Andre Previn's outing on Telarc with the same orchestra is a bit slower (and also a beautiful performance worthy of collection) and relaxed, as was Barbirolli in Vienna. In some ways, the performance recalls Mackerras's pioneering set on Telarc, tempo-wise.

I have Kleiber in this work too, with Vienna (although that's on Exclusive instead of the more common DG), and he is also fabulous. But my favorite is this recording. At least as of today!

The taughtness is energizing, and I find the observation of the Amazon reviewer to be quite true: The orchestra does indeed play like their lives counted on it. In fact, it sounds like they were terrified! This comes through in some of the string playing, which is beautiful, but sometimes lacking a little finesse in ensemble (yes, I know, this is Reiner conducting--imprecision is usually not the term one connotates with him!).

The engineering is excellent stereo. A great addition!