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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
38 of 38 people found the following review helpful
Format:MP3 Download|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is another great collection from the X5 group. The set is a bargain for the complete cycle of all four of Brahms' symphonies alone, featuring the Berlin Symphony Orchestra (BSO) conducted by the Venezuelan conductor Eduardo Marturet.
The symphonies are performed ably by the BSO and Marturet (who is now music director of the Miami Symphony Orchestra). The readings seem to drag in a few places, but overall the recordings are quite good. Symphony No 1 is a live recording and has a very few coughs and such. The others seem to be studio recordings -- at least they don't have applause at the end and I didn't notice crowd noise during a casual listen.
The BSO features prominently in this collection. During the Cold War, the BSO was East Berlin rival to the West's Berlin Philharmonic, and after the fall of the Berlin Wall there were questions about whether it could survive at all. But it has recovered today, and in 2006 changed its name to the Konzerthausorchester Berlin. It is still a fine orchestra, and features frequently on recordings, often for budget labels.
Besides the symphony cycle, the BSO and Marturet perform a set of all 21 of the crowd-pleasing Hungarian Dances. They also give nice renditions of both of the Piano Concertos, but unfortunately the name of the soloist is not provided. I believe it might be Karin Lechner -- I haven't found references to any other recordings of these concertos by Marturet and the BSO with any other soloist.
It is really interesting (and a terrific idea) that both of Brahms' clarinet sonatas are included in both the original versions for clarinet, and the alternate versions for viola. It's great to listen to these works back to back with the alternate instrumentation -- and a much faster reading on the clarinet versions. The collection also contains all three of Brahms' violin sonatas, performed capably by Aaron Rosand and Hugh Sung.
The Violin Concerto by Rosand and the Monte Carlo Philharmonic is performed well, but the orchestra sounds a bit dark, like it wasn't microphoned very well. The solo violin is much brighter and the contrast is a bit strange. No matter, it doesn't detract from the set overall. I really like the Double Concerto with the well-known Dutch violinist Emmy Verhey and Hungarian cellist and Indiana University professor Janos Starker.
The set doesn't include any of Brahms' choral works, but its selection of orchestral and chamber works is really quite good. There are a few Lieder, but they are not the focus or the high point of the set, really.
The casual listener who just wants a "greatest hits" collection may be a bit disappointed, because Brahms had far fewer "greatest hits" than some other composers. If you are unfamiliar with this music, it can be a bit slower and less catchy than, say, many well-known pieces by Mozart, Beethoven or Tchaikovsky. But it's definitely worth it!
Snap it up at the special $1.99 price as the "Deal of the Day" on January 23, 2010 if you can, but if you miss that deal, it's still a bargain at the regular price. Highly recommended!
The symphonies are performed ably by the BSO and Marturet (who is now music director of the Miami Symphony Orchestra). The readings seem to drag in a few places, but overall the recordings are quite good. Symphony No 1 is a live recording and has a very few coughs and such. The others seem to be studio recordings -- at least they don't have applause at the end and I didn't notice crowd noise during a casual listen.
The BSO features prominently in this collection. During the Cold War, the BSO was East Berlin rival to the West's Berlin Philharmonic, and after the fall of the Berlin Wall there were questions about whether it could survive at all. But it has recovered today, and in 2006 changed its name to the Konzerthausorchester Berlin. It is still a fine orchestra, and features frequently on recordings, often for budget labels.
Besides the symphony cycle, the BSO and Marturet perform a set of all 21 of the crowd-pleasing Hungarian Dances. They also give nice renditions of both of the Piano Concertos, but unfortunately the name of the soloist is not provided. I believe it might be Karin Lechner -- I haven't found references to any other recordings of these concertos by Marturet and the BSO with any other soloist.
It is really interesting (and a terrific idea) that both of Brahms' clarinet sonatas are included in both the original versions for clarinet, and the alternate versions for viola. It's great to listen to these works back to back with the alternate instrumentation -- and a much faster reading on the clarinet versions. The collection also contains all three of Brahms' violin sonatas, performed capably by Aaron Rosand and Hugh Sung.
The Violin Concerto by Rosand and the Monte Carlo Philharmonic is performed well, but the orchestra sounds a bit dark, like it wasn't microphoned very well. The solo violin is much brighter and the contrast is a bit strange. No matter, it doesn't detract from the set overall. I really like the Double Concerto with the well-known Dutch violinist Emmy Verhey and Hungarian cellist and Indiana University professor Janos Starker.
The set doesn't include any of Brahms' choral works, but its selection of orchestral and chamber works is really quite good. There are a few Lieder, but they are not the focus or the high point of the set, really.
The casual listener who just wants a "greatest hits" collection may be a bit disappointed, because Brahms had far fewer "greatest hits" than some other composers. If you are unfamiliar with this music, it can be a bit slower and less catchy than, say, many well-known pieces by Mozart, Beethoven or Tchaikovsky. But it's definitely worth it!
Snap it up at the special $1.99 price as the "Deal of the Day" on January 23, 2010 if you can, but if you miss that deal, it's still a bargain at the regular price. Highly recommended!
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:MP3 Download|Amazon Verified Purchase
Wow, 12 hours of Brahms. All the works are complete, and the wonderful D-major violin concerto is here, in a solid performance. The Berlin Symphony Orchestra is fine with the symphonies. Except for the notable lack of all but a few vocal works, this is a great introduction to one of my favorite composers.
3 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:MP3 Download|Amazon Verified Purchase
I own several of the other 99 Most Essential albums (Mozart, Vivaldi, Tchaikovsky) and I'd have to say that Brahms is my most favorite to listen to. Mostly because this album includes more complete works than the other ones and they're performed in a way that someone not very familiar with Brahms will enjoy them. I am that person, not too familiar with Brahms, but I loved this album and am now interested in learning more about this amazing classical composer.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
I'm about to purchase it for the second time!
Due to time restraints and a network issue, I did not download the purchase quick enough and my downloads were cancelled. I have to purchase the album AGAIN. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Bryan
Download stinks
Due to limited time on downloads, you may not be able to download. Customer service is slow and then you get another limited time download offer which is unclear as to how it is to... Read more
Published 22 months ago by Walter Prochorenko
Xcellent
As most have said, I got this a few months back and it is just XCELLENT! extremely calming and relaxing for me.
Published on May 5, 2010 by A. Joseph
Beautiful
Beautiful music, beautifully performed at a wonderful price.
What a magnificent opportunity to experience classical music you may not have heard before. Read more
What a magnificent opportunity to experience classical music you may not have heard before. Read more
Published on March 31, 2010 by Happy Pappy
Pretty Good Deal
This is a pretty good deal, but read the fine print before you press "GO".
Published on February 16, 2010 by T. Nielsen
Very good
This is a new addition to my collection of "The 99 Most Essential...Masterpieces" classical music albums from Amazon. This is also a good compilation and I am glad I got it. Read more
Published on February 4, 2010 by APF
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