Brahms: Symphony No. 4; Hungarian Dances Nos. 2 & 4-9

Johannes Brahms (Composer), Marin Alsop (Conductor), London Philharmonic Orchestra (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Orchestra: London Philharmonic Orchestra
• Conductor: Marin Alsop
• Composer: Johannes Brahms
• Audio CD (September 25, 2007)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Naxos
• ASIN: B000U7V99O
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #152,245 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, November 19, 2007

By 

Fredrick Baumgarten "Grimblebee" (Sharon, CT USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Brahms: Symphony No. 4; Hungarian Dances Nos. 2 & 4-9 (Audio CD)

This is my first Alsop recording (I bought the digital download). It's not bad, but it's not very inspiring, either. The playing is clean and balanced, but lacks passion.

The third and fourth movements are distinctly better than the first and second. The third has a good tempo, appropriate boisterousness, and very appealing textures. The fourth is played with ample drama, thought it's hard to go wrong here; the music speaks for itself.

The big problem is the first movement. It must be the most difficult in the entire Brahms canon, and too often misunderstood. There is an incredible, rhythmic pulsing of tension and release throughout the movement. We should be propelled forward, even though it's hard not to linger on some of the beautiful passages. By the time we reach the coda, it should have an aura of inevitability to it, and the powerful drumbeats bring it to a crashing conclusion.

Very little of this comes across in Alsop's version. The tempo is too slow and lacks energy. Particularly in the beginning it sounds simply dull and undifferentiated. The coda arrives with little build-up.

The second movement is pretty in Alsop's hands, but again lacks the "twin peaks" of tension and passion. It should be more than pretty -- it should be heartbreaking.

All in all, not even close to a classic Brahms 4.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Alsop Finishes Her Brahms Symphony Cycle, and Nicely, September 26, 2007

By 

J Scott Morrison (Middlebury VT, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Brahms: Symphony No. 4; Hungarian Dances Nos. 2 & 4-9 (Audio CD)

There has been a mixed critical response to Marin Alsop's Brahms Symphony cycle, and indeed the first customer review received for this present release, from Santa Fe Listener, is a bit less than laudatory. However, I must respectfully disagree with him. I found this to be a thoroughly satisfying performance and recording. It is true that Alsop tends to take middle-of-the-road tempi, but her way with nuanced rubato and dynamic shaping is really quite special. She certainly seems to have her own ideas about how to play this work. Indeed, the second movement, marked Andante moderato, is actually taken at what I would call an Adagio. At first I was dismayed by this, but as I continued listening (and listened again and again) I was completely won over by her approach. In fact, I kept thinking that the grandeur this lends the movement makes it almost Mahlerian in effect. Perhaps, this slow tempo is not precisely what Brahms intended, but it is effective for all that. As for the rumbustious third movement marked Allegro giocoso -- which almost always in concert draws applause from listeners unfamiliar with the work -- it is a magnificent performance. And then we get to what some feel is Brahms's most brilliant symphonic movement, the finale containing that majestic passacaglia. What a way for Brahms to go out! I was struck again and again how responsive the London Philharmonic is to Alsop's subtle shaping of the movement. And my goodness all departments of the orchestra play brilliantly. I have to say that this Brahms Fourth is magnificent. As for the recorded sound, it too is absolutely top-drawer with clarity, richness and power at all dynamic levels.

The filler on the disc comprises performances of a set of new orchestrations of those Hungarian Dances that Brahms himself didn't orchestrate, i.e. Nos. 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, & 9. Slovak composer Peter Breiner did them and they sound echt-Brahmsian to me, particularly in their idiomatic use of percussion, reminding us that Brahms did the same in his orchestrations of Nos. 1, 3 & 10. I don't understand another reviewer saying they don't catch fire. All I can say is that for me they did.

Yes, this is a marvelous finale for this series. I recommend it heartily.

Scott Morrison

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars As soon as it gets up some tension, it lets go., August 4, 2009

By 

En.N "En.N" (California, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Brahms: Symphony No. 4 / Hungarian Dances Nos. 2, 4-9 (Orch. Breiner) (MP3 Download)

Marin Alsop's Brahms Fourth is a miss. As elsewhere in her Brahms cycle she uses a bit too much flexibility in her tempi but the big problem is that when she does build up some tension, some anticipation of great things to come, she lets go and all that tension, that energy, dissipates. It's disappointing to the listener to have this happen, but it does, several times through the first movement. The middle movements aren't bad. They're just not special. The last movement passacaglia...a theme and ostinato variations...should have an inexorability climaxing in a powerful conclusion. Alsop just doesn't let this happen, dropping a tempo here, taking a phrase too softly there. Listen to Klemperer's account, if you want to hear how powerful this movement can be.