Customer Reviews

Brahms: Symphony No. 2 / Double Concerto

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

 

 

The LSO Live label used to be bargain priced, but now it's gone up to mid-price. The sonics are quite good, despite the difficult venue of the Barbican Center in north London. This Brahms Second is lighter and more alert than Haitink's last go with the Boston Sym. on Philips. He does not see Brahms in the profound, conflicted, passionate terms of, say, a Bernstein or Furtwangler. In his smoother, at times sunny approach, Haitink has found a viable way to interpret the Brahms Second, the most pastoral of the four symphonies. The LSO plays suavely, with beautiful balance of chords and instrumental voices.

The late Double Concerto makes for a pairing of contrasts, since it is mysterious, inward, at times gloomy, and not remotely pastoral. Haitink calls on the orchestra's first-desk cello and concertmaster rather than spotlighting two famous virtuosos. Both play very expressively, without undue weight or seriousness. I especially admired the gorgeous tone of both violin and cello, sumptuously caught by the engineers. For all its virtues, this performance could use more passion and distinctiveness, but it joins the Second Sym. to make up a polished and enjoyable CD, if not exctly an essential one.

LSO Live and the London Symphony pay ample homage not only to Brahms but also to distinguished Dutch conductor Bernard Haitink in the first of two recent releases of Brahms symphonies. Without question this is the best live recording of the Brahms 2nd Symphony I have heard, easily eclipsing Kurt Masur's acclaimed account with the New York Philharmonic recorded nearly a decade ago by Teldec. It is also Haitink's finest recording of this work, which he has recorded previously with both the Royal Concertgebouw and Boston Symphony orchestras. Haitink does a wonderful job emphasizing the textural richness of Brahms' score, while keeping the orchestra playing well at a very brisk tempo. However, the real treasure on this recording is the excellent performance of the Double Concerto by the London Symphony's Concertmaster and Principal Cellist which opens this CD. Theirs is a vibrant, rhapsodic performance which compares quite well - indeed I think may be better - than the recent Deutsche Grammophon recording featuring violinist Gil Shaham with Claudio Abbado conducting the Berlin Philharmonic. Once again the orchestra plays with much intensity and warmth, led ably by Haitink. Without a doubt this is one of the best LSO Live recordings I have heard, and one which should please long-time admirers of Haitink and the London Symphony Orchestra as well as Brahms fans.

The 4th movement of the 2nd symphony exemplifies the exhilarating and breathtaking verve with which the LSO customarily play these days, but the gentle lilt of the 3rd movement, the edgy beauty of the 2nd and the nobility of the 1st all equally impress. This performance, under Haitink's sure yet refreshing guide, is truly magnificent. The Double Concerto is barely less brilliant, with excellent integration of the music between soloists and orchestra (hardly surprising perhaps when those soloists are the LSO's leader and principal cellist) and really spicy playing by all. I cannot praise this CD enough.

Bernard Haitink and the London Symphony Orchestra have a fine relationship in communication. The orchestra is lively and responsive to his demands, a factor that is always best judged from recordings such as this - from a live performance. This particularly well prepared concert was recording in Barbican in London in May of 2003. The reading of the Brahms Symphony No. 2 is fully of light and Haitink finds all the inner voices at times buried in Brahms' thick orchestral writing. This is a bright and joyous reading with excellent responses from all the sections in their solo portions.

The second portion of this recording (actually played first on the CD is the Brahms Double Concerto in which the first desk cellist Tim Hugh and concertmaster , violinist Gordan Nikolitch serve as competent soloists. This reading stresses Brahms' Hungarian dances atmosphere, the soloists both emphasize the gypsy flavor seldom heard in performances of this oddly unsatisfying composition and their conversations are lively and assertive. In all for a live recording the sound is splendid. This CD is a fine opening of the Haitink survey of the works of Brahms. Just don't look for any revelations here. Grady Harp, May 11

After reading all of the Hosanna cries from the rest of the pack, I decided to buy this bargain offer CD.
And I shouldn't...
Sonically - this is a flop in a big way: Compared to another Brahms Double concerto, with the same conductor, Haitink effort with the Concertgebouw/Perlman/Rostropovitch, (which in itself is not one of the greatest recording because of midrange aberrations due to EMI producer's decisions), this LSO bargain CD sounds muffled, distanced and reserved. Sonically the hearing-brain mechanism can not penetrate the sound-field and can not extract any sonic pleasure with this recording - which no doubt is an extensive multi-micked affair. Bad.
The playing of both cellist and violinist lacks the intensity, the warmth, the heart-break and the immediacy that the Oistrakh/Rostropovich, or Oistrakh/Fournier has, and certainly it does not hold the magic and the superb Concertgebouw acoustic.
Also, compared to the (half MONO-EMI-Oistrakh/Fournier) the LSO CD sounds like they are lost in a mist.
And mind you: this LSO CD is a pure digital recording that by nature should have had the "see-through", the attack, the wholesomeness sonic ability - but it does not have this, again, due to the multi-micked recording.
I do not so much have quarrel with the artistic taste of some of the other critics who likes their Brahms to sound like Delius or like Vaughn-Williams, but all it boils into is a reading that is liked to walking in the mud.
The LSO recording is vague, distanced, unfocused, misty, no relief-effect (no 3-D).
If you are looking for a more exciting, direct, bold experience, go somewhere else. This one is not the one.

This will be a short review because there is not much to say about this CD except that its sound-quality is very, very bad. I might have liked the orchestra's performance of this beautiful music, if I could stand the unbearable sonics. Buy at your own risk.