Brahms: Symphony in Cm No1, Op68

On this CD:

1. Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68
Composed by Johannes Brahms
Performed by Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
Conducted by Marek Janowski

Tracks:

Violin Concerto In D Major - Op.35: I. Allegro Moderato
Violin Concerto In D Major - Op.35: II. Canzonetta (Andante)
Violin Concerto In D Major - Op.35: III. Finale (Allegro vivacissimo)
Symphony No.1 In C Minor - Op.68: I. Un poco sostenuto - Allegro
Symphony No.1 In C Minor - Op.68: II. Andante sostenuto
Symphony No.1 In C Minor - Op.68: III. Un poco allegretto e grazioso
Symphony No.1 In C Minor - Op.68: IV. Adagio - Piu andante - Allegro non troppo, ma con brio

Brahms: Symphony in Cm No1, Op68; Falla: El Amor Brujo

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Stokowski in Hollywood, in excellent remasterings

Brahms: Symphony in Cm No1, Op68; Falla: El Amor Brujo

Manufacturer: Dutton Laboratories
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B00004YU94
Release Date: 2000-11-14

Tracks:

Falla El Amor Brujo: Intro And Scene/In The Cave: Evening
Falla El Amor Brujo: Song Of Injured Love/The Ghost
Falla El Amor Brujo: Dance Of Terror
Falla El Amor Brujo: The Magic Circle: The Fisherman's Tale
Falla El Amor Brujo: Midnight: The Sorceries
Falla El Amor Brujo: Ritual Fire Dance
Falla El Amor Brujo: Scene/Song Of The Will-O'-The Wisp
Falla El Amor Brujo: Pantomime
Falla El Amor Brujo: Dance Of The Game Of Love)
Falla El Amor Brujo: The Morning Bells
Sym No.1 in c, Op.68: Un Poco Sostenuto - Allegro - Leopold Stokowski/The Hollywood Bowl SO
Sym No.1 in c, Op.68: Andante Sostenuto - Leopold Stokowski/The Hollywood Bowl SO
Sym No.1 in c, Op.68: Un Poco Allegretto E Grazioso - Leopold Stokowski/The Hollywood Bowl SO
Sym No.1 in c, Op.68: Adagio - Allegro Non Troppo, Ma Con Brio - Leopold Stokowski/The Hollywood Bowl SO

Customer Reviews:

Stokowski in Hollywood, in excellent remasterings.......2007-03-08

These two works were recorded with the Hollywood Bowl Orch., a summer group that Stokowski often conducted in the Forties. The Brahms Sym. #1 dates from 1945, its odd disc-mate, Falla's El Amor Brujo, from 1946. As an interpretation, the Falla will win over anyone--it's fiery, dramatic, and unyielding in its forward drive. Stokowski doesn't linger over the Spanish atmosphere but concentrates on the ballet's stark scenario, the tale of a jealous gypsy ghost and the widow who craves a new lover but cannot escape her dead husband's sexual fierceness. Nan Merriman sings with an appropriately flint-edged tone to communicate the woman's plight, and the recorded sound is really fine. Dutton's remastering expands orchetral color and dynamics further than one might believe possible; although in mono, almost every trace of hiss is gone. Only the somewhat cramped acoustic betrays the recording's age.

The Brahms First is in just as good sound, but one gets the impression that the original 78 records used as Dutton's source are more worn; loud passages turn a bit fuzzy. Even so, this is warmer and fuller-sounding than Toscanini's Brahms from the same era, on a par with the best of Furtwangler. I run hot and cold about Stokowski's Brahms, but this reading is exciting without being eccentric (until we get to some pell-mell speed-ups at the last movement). He was always a buoyant Brahms conductor, steering away from turmoil and tragedy. The symphony is played with eloquence and great intensity in its extroverted way--you won't hear too many readings like it. Be prepared for pushing and pulling in the finale, especially at the entry of the big tune. If that doesn't throw you off (it irked critics at the time), this theatrical First is one of Stokowski's best efforts at Brahms.

Brahms: Symphony in Cm No1, Op68; Symphony in D No2, Op73

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Brahms, Barenboim and the CSO: A Splendid Combination
Triumph over the past

Brahms: Symphony in Cm No1, Op68; Symphony in D No2, Op73

Manufacturer: Teldec
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00004SCXV
Release Date: 2000-09-12

Tracks:

Symphony No. 1 In C Minor, Op. 68: Un poco sostenuto - Allegro
Symphony No. 1 In C Minor, Op. 68: Andante sostenuto
Symphony No. 1 In C Minor, Op. 68: Un poco Allegretto e grazioso
Symphony No. 1 In C Minor, Op. 68: Adagio - Piu Andante - Allegro non troppo, ma con brio
Symphony No. 1 In C Minor, Op. 68: Allegro - Maestoso
Symphony No. 1 In C Minor, Op. 68: Allegro ma non troppo - molto piu moderato

Tracks:

Symphony No. 2 In D Major, Op. 73: Allegro non troppo
Symphony No. 2 In D Major, Op. 73: Adagio non troppo
Symphony No. 2 In D Major, Op. 73: Allegretto grazioso
Symphony No. 2 In D Major, Op. 73: Allegro con spirito
Variations On A Theme By Haydn, Op. 56A: Chorale St. Antoni - Andante
Variations On A Theme By Haydn, Op. 56A: Variation I - Poco piu animato
Variations On A Theme By Haydn, Op. 56A: Variation II - Piu vivace
Variations On A Theme By Haydn, Op. 56A: Variation III - Con moto
Variations On A Theme By Haydn, Op. 56A: Variation IV - Andante con moto
Variations On A Theme By Haydn, Op. 56A: Variation V - Vivace
Variations On A Theme By Haydn, Op. 56A: Variation VI - Vivace
Variations On A Theme By Haydn, Op. 56A: Variation VII - Grazioso
Variations On A Theme By Haydn, Op. 56A: Variation VIII - Presto non troppo
Variations On A Theme By Haydn, Op. 56A: Finale - Andante

Customer Reviews:

Brahms, Barenboim and the CSO: A Splendid Combination.......2001-04-24

These are warm, vibrant performances of Brahms' most popular symphonies. Barenboim and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra have recorded one of the finest Brahms symphony cycles in recent years. Only those conducted by Kurt Masur and Bernard Haitink are either warmer or more passionate than these recordings. I believe Teldec's sound quality is better here than in its critically acclaimed Masur/New York Philharmonic Brahms symphony cycle. Barenboim isn't noted for his conducting of Brahms; however this cycle has received some praise from music critics. If you are looking for a fine set of recent recordings of Brahms' first two symphonies at a budget price, then you won't go wrong with this attractive coupling.

Triumph over the past.......2000-10-03

I enjoy these symphonies very much. Daniel Barenboim presents a patient and stately reading. The notes by Phillip Huscher present a biographical account. Intimidated by the shadow of Beethoven, Brahms spent twenty years writing his first symphony. He remarked as a way of explaining his reticence, "You can't have any idea what it's like always to hear such a giant marching behind you." Imagine how composers after Brahms felt hearing not only the giant but the giant-killer marching behind them. ;D I appreciate the pacing Barenboim establishes. For example, the opening seventeen measures of the first symphony provides a thoughtful presentation, acknowledging Brahm's awareness of Beethoven's influence. Again, in the fourth movement at the 5'23" mark, the pace is assured and thoughtful before climaxing at 6'30". I also notice a wide dynamic range which makes the symphony interesting and lively to me. The second symphony, although completed only months after the first, is quite different. Phillip Huscher comments that the "first performance, on December 30, 1877, in Vienna under Hans Richter, was a triumph, and the third movement had to be repeated." I feel an unmistakable tension, so to speak, when I hear the first movement's lovely strings paint a pastoral image while there is an underlying sense of uneasiness from the lower strings and the trombones. I think that Brahms has written a complex piece which might have become maudlin in less qualified hands. I don't feel very comfortable being the first person to comment on these great works of Western Music. My embarassing lack of training I feel must be obvious, and I do hope that someone more qualified will offer their own more instructive notes. Anyway, if you are interested in the symphonies of one of the most important composers of the late 19th century, or you are interested in Barenboim's stately reading of these symphonies, this CD will interest you.

Brahms: Symphony in Cm No1, Op68; Strauss: Don Juan

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Brahms: Symphony in Cm No1, Op68; Strauss: Don Juan

Manufacturer: Classica D'oro
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Tracks:

Don Juan, Op.20
Un Poco Sostenuto/Allegro
Andante Sostenuto
Un Poco Allegro E Grazioso
Adagio/Allegro Non Troppo

Brahms: Symphony in Cm No1, Op68; Symphony in F No3, Op90

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From the review in Gramophone
Burnished Brahms of Bygone Days
CD of an old, scratchy recording

Brahms: Symphony in Cm No1, Op68; Symphony in F No3, Op90

Manufacturer: Biddulph Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

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Tracks:

Sym No.1 in c, Op.68: I. Un Poco Sostenuto-Allegro - Hermann Abendroth/LSO
Sym No.1 in c, Op.68: II. Andante Sostenuto - Hermann Abendroth/LSO
Sym No.1 in c, Op.68: III. Un Poco Allegretto E Grazioso - Hermann Abendroth/LSO
Sym No.1 in c, Op.68: IV. Adagio-Allegro Non Troppo, Ma Con Brio - Hermann Abendroth/LSO
Sym No.3 in F, Op.90: I. Allegro Con Brio - Clemens Krauss/VPO
Sym No.3 in F, Op.90: II. Andante - Clemens Krauss/VPO
Sym No.3 in F, Op.90: III. Poco Allegretto - Clemens Krauss/VPO
Sym No.3 in F, Op.90: IV. Allegro - Clemens Krauss/VPO

Customer Reviews:

From the review in Gramophone.......2005-11-23

Thank heavens for such independent labels as Biddulph, Tahra, Dante Lys, Pearl, Dutton, APR and others like them, for were it not for their sterling efforts, performances such as these would be lost with the passage of time. And what valuable recordings they are. Much as we prize the Brahms of Furtwangler, Toscanini, Klemperer and Walter, anyone with active critical faculties-- and the ability to listen through old sound--is likely to enjoy Krauss or Abendroth virtually as much. Both conductors reflect a performing style that, as annotator Martin Leigh rightly suggests, might well have been recognized by the composer himself. Flexibility is a constant attribute, though the orchestras featured produce very different pooled sonorities.
Hermann Abendroth succeeded the Brahmsian conductor Fritz Steinbach as director of the Cologne Gurzenich concerts, and was in turn succeeded by Furtwangler at Leipzig. A good many of Abendroth's post-war East German recordings have latterly found their way on to CD, but most collectors will have first encountered the conductor through these 1927-8 Brahms 78s with the LSO. The original sound quality, although generally well balanced, is cramped and mono-dimensional, but Mark Obert-Thorn's painstaking transfers make the best of a difficult job.

The First Symphony opens magisterially. Even as early as bar 9, a dip in tempo makes a dramatic effect, and at 5'29'' Abendroth purposely softens the ben marcato violas so as to maximize the mounting tension thereafter. The main body of the first movement is pliable but energetic, whereas the Andante sostenuto second movement flows nicely and the finale generates considerable visceral excitement. Like Sir Charles Mackerras (who himself on his Telarc set of Brahms had taken various of Steinbach's interpretative suggestions on board), Abendroth leans on the initial upbeat of the big string tune then pushes forwards. Just occasionally the tempo seems too fast for comfort, but the sum effect of Abendroth's approach is rugged and impulsive, somewhat like Furtwangler's but less artfully distended--especially in the pizzicato passages earlier on in the movement.

The LSO's strings are more expressive than their rather acid woodwinds, the cellos being especially fine. Most of Brahms's dynamics are faithfully observed, and I would concur with Leigh that `Abendroth's treatment of the interrelationship of the movements is as perceptive as one would expect from a skilled opera conductor.`

Clemens Krauss was even more celebrated as an opera conductor than Abendroth, and his symphonic records are few and far between. This 1930 Vienna Philharmonic account of the Third is distinguished by taut string playing, glorious contributions from the horn section (note how they shine resplendent prior to the first movement's recapitulation) and an unselfconscious approach to rubato. I could easily imagine that anyone who learned the Andante from this recording will have found all subsequent versions pallid and unconvincing. Krauss's handling of the opening bars--where violas, cellos and basses answer woodwinds and horns--suggests the intimacy of chamber music. Rarely has the writing breathed more naturally, or the underlying sentiment been more precisely gauged. The Poco Allegretto third movement is flexible but mobile (not too slow), and although some of the finale's faster passages are a little uncoordinated, the driving force of Krauss's approach marks a telling contrast with the symphony's reflective coda.

With fine transfers and expert annotation, these two CDs provide an invaluable historical supplement to existing Brahms symphony recommendations. You may not always agree with what you hear, and yet all four performances should significantly extend your knowledge of these wonderful works.

Burnished Brahms of Bygone Days.......2000-07-25

Hermann Abendroth belonged to the same generation of German conductors as Wilhelm Furtwangler and Bruno Walter. Abendroth, like Furtwangler, was an unapologetic romantic, and he brought his romantic's sense of the work of art as a living organism to the Brahms symphonies, which he conducted throughout his life. Abendroth's 1927 Brahms First Symphony with the London Symphony Orchestra treats the score as an essay in angst, atunement, and vindication. The first movement's opening bars are stormy and driven, its quiet closing bars hushed and mysterious. The gradual build-up to the "chorale" theme in the fourth movement is dramatic and full of expectation. Everywhere Abendroth engages in the pushing and pulling of tempi (it's called rubato) that characterizes the German interpretive style of the first half of this century. They don't do Brahms this way anymore, and too bad. Some buyers of CDs stay away from archival recordings. They want technically up-to-date sound. The old electrical recordings, set down on large acetate discs, are certainly different in their acoustic properties than modern recordings, but I am by no means convinced that they are inferior. The sound is different, less defined, but maybe more natural, sounding as it might if heard from the seats at the back of the balcony. The Biddulph engineers have extracted the maximum of acoustic information from their sources. I find it a rewarding musical experience. It tells me a good deal about the music that I do not learn from modern recorded performances. This CD also contains a performance of the Brahms Third under Clemens Krauss.

CD of an old, scratchy recording.......1999-03-30

This is a CD of an old, scratchy recording. If you have antiquarian zeal and an interest in the history of Brahms performances you might like it. If you want sound quality, buy a more modern version.

Brahms: Symphony in Cm No1, Op68; Dvorak: Carnival Overture Op92

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Brahms: Symphony in Cm No1, Op68; Dvorak: Carnival Overture Op92

Manufacturer: Supraphon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00000JHM6
Release Date: 1996-02-20

Brahms: Symphony in Cm No1, Op68; Haydn: Symphony No94

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Brahms: Symphony in Cm No1, Op68; Haydn: Symphony No94

Manufacturer: Angel Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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General | Classical | Styles | Music

Average customer rating:

Brahms: Symphony in Cm No1, Op68

Manufacturer: Asv Living Era
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Tracks:

Sym No.1 in c, Op.68: First Movt: Un Poco Sostenuto - Allegro
Sym No.1 in c, Op.68: Second Movt: Andante Sostenuto
Sym No.1 in c, Op.68: Third Movt: Un Poco Allegretto E Grazioso
Sym No.1 in c, Op.68: Fourth Movt: Adagio - Piu Andante - Allegro Non Troppo, Ma Con Brio

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Brahms: Symphony in Cm No1, Op68

Manufacturer: Koch Schwann (Germ.)
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000006KM7
Release Date: 1995-09-19

Tracks:

Sym c Op. 68 Vol. 1: Un poco sostenuto - Allegro
Sym c Op. 68 Vol. 1: Andante sostenuto
Sym c Op. 68 Vol. 1: Un poco Allegretto e grazioso
Sym c Op. 68 Vol. 1: Adagio - Allegro non troppo ma con brio

Brahms: Symphony in Cm No1, Op68; Mozart: Symphony No41

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The Ultimate Toscanini "Jupiter" Symphony

Brahms: Symphony in Cm No1, Op68; Mozart: Symphony No41

Manufacturer: Music & Arts
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Amazon.com essential recording

Although Toscanini and the NBC Orchestra made commercial recordings for these repertoire staples, the 1940 broadcast performances gathered here prove superior on every count. Those who rightly find the Maestro's 1945 recording of Mozart's "Jupiter" Symphony overtly brusque and architectonic will be surprised by how congenial and liberally inflected the broadcast of April 20, 1940 seems in comparison. Similarly, Toscanini's Brahms First of May 6, 1940 fuses tensile strength and architecture with spontaneous rubatos and a degree of tempo fluctuation quite different from the Maestro's later, more streamlined accounts. Music & Arts' superb, impactive sound suggests that "inside" sources were used to produce this CD. An essential purchase for anyone with the slightest interest in Toscanini. --Jed Distler

Customer Reviews:

The Ultimate Toscanini "Jupiter" Symphony.......1998-09-18

"Digitally refurbished in 1994" says the cover of this M&A CD. I always shudder when I see something like this on an historical compact disk, having been burned so often by engineering that adds horrible echoes, phase shifts, and inappropriate re-equalizations.

But here we have only fine, clinical, and honest sound from the original monaural transcription disks, as close to them in lifelike reality as we are likely to hear! Huzzah!!

And the revelation provided by this issue is that Toscanini's considered view of the Mozart "Jupiter", etched into the 1945 shellac disk recording now included on Volume 11 of the RCA / BMG Toscanini Collection, does not necessarily represent his best achievement with the piece.

Robert C. Marsh and other critics have long felt that the 1945 recording was rushed and hectic, though I personally discovered that at least part of its intensity was due to the extra audio compression added to the mid-fifties Victor Red Seal LP pressing; my earlier late-forties vinyl 45 rpm set had wider dynamic range and less "stress" in the loud peaks, which seemed to have enhanced the spaciousness of the interpretation. The BMG CD issue resembles the 45 rpm, or the original shellacs, more than the compressed Victor LP.

But this revelatory 20 April 1940 broadcast (mistakenly described on the back of the CD as being from '49) finds the Maestro in a more pensive and relaxed mood. Using an electronic metronome, I made some comparisons of tempo with the commercial release done 5 years later.

1. Allegro Vivace: In 1940, Toscanini's opening tempo is much slower than the careening take-off of '45. He soon settles in at about 140-142 quarter-note beats per minute, though the pacing is very flexible and constantly varies around these values. In 1945, he charges off at about 150-52 and is less plastic and more martial.

2. Andante. Cantabile: The tempo of 93 to 95 in 1940 is raised to a fast 105 for the later commercial recording, and sounds far too quick: was the Maestro straining to get the movement on two sides of the 78 rpm set? Well, no, for it takes a total of 6:48 in 1945 (one side of a typical 78 could last from 4 and a half to just over 5 minutes) as opposed to 6:42 in 1940 (referring to the ACTUAL track playing times, not the incorrect indications on the RCA and M&A albums.) One finds a paradox: the earlier reading is SHORTER than the later, faster- sounding one: this is accomplished through the use of tempo rubato, varying the pace but centering the basic pulse around a specific tempo. Toscanini used this technique throughout his career, but tended to abandon it and revert to stricter tempi in the last decade. The earlier version is more flexible and natural in expression.

3. Menuetto. Allegro. Trio: The basic pulse in 1940 is about 148-9 quarter note beats per minute, speeded up to 151 or a bit faster in '45. Not too much difference, but it IS noticeable!

4. Finale. Allegro Molto: In 1940, Toscanini plays the movement at a basic tempo centered around 149 to 150 quarter note beats per minute; in '45 he has accelerated to at least 156 or even faster! The orchestra has to scramble and, according to Marsh's analysis, plays many passages in an unclean manner.

Throughout the 1940 reading, all is sunny relaxation and good humor. If this performance were more widely know, it might rehabilitate Toscanini's damaged reputation as a Mozart conductor who seemed to press too hard!

The Brahms Symphony No. 1 was done at Carnegie Hall on 6 May 1940 and, like the Mozart, has good solid in-house acetate disk aircheck sound, though both have no highs above about 4.5 to 5 kHz and seem just a bit inferior in transparency to the great 1936 PSNY recording of the Beethoven Seventh.

The Maestro's reading of the C Minor has gelled by 1940 into the solid, Germanic, and forthright presentation epitomized by his future commercial recordings, telecast, and broadcasts: it is arguably the finest interpretation of any of the NBC Firsts.

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