- Purchase any product from the Music Store sold by Amazon.co.uk and receive �1 to use on any music download in our MP3 Store. UK customers only. Here's how (terms and conditions apply)
Special Offers and Product Promotions
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images? |
Listen to Samples and Buy MP3s
Songs from this album are available to purchase as MP3s. Click on "Buy MP3" or
view the MP3 Album.
Product Description
Product Description
Following the 2011 landmark Beethoven cycle, Riccardo Chailly returns with a recording of the complete Brahms symphonies and orchestral works including the overtures and Haydn Variations.
Rarities include world premiere recordings of two piano intermezzi orchestrated by Paul Klengel (brother of the Gewandhaus long-standing principal cellist Julius Klengel); the 9 Liebeslieder waltzes; the original first performance version of the Andante of Symphony No. 1 and the even rarer revised opening of the Fourth Symphony.
Chailly has radically rethought his approach to these works, re-examining the scores and returning to the recorded interpretations of a generation of conductors alive during Brahms lifetime, principally Felix Weingartner and one of his Gewandhaus predecessors Bruno Walter.
Rarities include world premiere recordings of two piano intermezzi orchestrated by Paul Klengel (brother of the Gewandhaus long-standing principal cellist Julius Klengel); the 9 Liebeslieder waltzes; the original first performance version of the Andante of Symphony No. 1 and the even rarer revised opening of the Fourth Symphony.
Chailly has radically rethought his approach to these works, re-examining the scores and returning to the recorded interpretations of a generation of conductors alive during Brahms lifetime, principally Felix Weingartner and one of his Gewandhaus predecessors Bruno Walter.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
21 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
The long awaited 'new' set of the Brahms symphonies from Chailly and the Leipzig Gewandhaus orchestra are finally here! Having lived with them for a fortnight now I can confirm the wait has been well worth it. Of course, one takes the musical and technical virtuosity of the orchestra for granted but, here, the Gewandhaus Orchestra surpass themselves.
So what of Chailly? Well, the generic word that comes to mind regarding tempi is 'flowing'. The days of heavy, glutinous Brahms is, hopefully, a thing of the past and most 'modern' conductors such as Rattle and the younger Chailly refuse to get stuck in the mud whilst eating suet pudding after a heavy roast beef dinner!
There is also passion aplenty at climaxes, notably the first movement of the Fourth Symphony and the end of the Second Symphony. There is glory aplenty in the First Symphony with perhaps the most moving solo oboe and violin playing I have ever heard in this beautiful movement. The Third Symphony, possibly the most difficult of the four to bring to life, is here given a truly golden performance where the third movement really glows.
The 'extras' are terrific too. The 'Haydn' Variations are given lots of character (another difficult work to both play and conduct) and there are little extras such as Brahms's first thoughts to the very beginning of the Fourth Symphony. A few seconds to be sure but a tiny insight into this most meticulous of composers working methods.
The presentation is, as one would expect from Decca, first rate with excellent notes and photos. If this appeals, don't hesitate.
So what of Chailly? Well, the generic word that comes to mind regarding tempi is 'flowing'. The days of heavy, glutinous Brahms is, hopefully, a thing of the past and most 'modern' conductors such as Rattle and the younger Chailly refuse to get stuck in the mud whilst eating suet pudding after a heavy roast beef dinner!
There is also passion aplenty at climaxes, notably the first movement of the Fourth Symphony and the end of the Second Symphony. There is glory aplenty in the First Symphony with perhaps the most moving solo oboe and violin playing I have ever heard in this beautiful movement. The Third Symphony, possibly the most difficult of the four to bring to life, is here given a truly golden performance where the third movement really glows.
The 'extras' are terrific too. The 'Haydn' Variations are given lots of character (another difficult work to both play and conduct) and there are little extras such as Brahms's first thoughts to the very beginning of the Fourth Symphony. A few seconds to be sure but a tiny insight into this most meticulous of composers working methods.
The presentation is, as one would expect from Decca, first rate with excellent notes and photos. If this appeals, don't hesitate.
29 of 31 people found the following review helpful
By Entartete Musik
TOP 1000 REVIEWER
Format:Audio CD
Some people think that Brahms was an unfeeling reactionary. With his beard, paunch and pipe, he certainly looks anything but cut and thrust. Schoenberg, on the other hand, called him the 'progressive'. And it's in that radical spirit that Chailly and the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig perform his finest orchestral works on this new three-disc set.
Chailly puts into action what he describes as Brahms's 'new universe of sound', the complexity of which 'is even above Mahler and Bruckner'. Certainly Chailly is keen to let us hear those layers, though he's also unstinting in delivering real emotion impact. This is Brahms the true Romantic and the proto-Modernist.
It is well known that Brahms struggled even to start his First Symphony, let alone complete it, so haunted was he by the enormity of following in Beethoven's footsteps. He eventually overcame those doubts and instead flaunted the Austro-Germanic symphonic heritage in the C minor-major dialectic of the work. Following their own recent survey of Beethoven, Chailly and the Gewandhausorchester bring fresh attack to Brahms's homage. Chailly errs on the fast, though it pay dividends. Underpinned by tenacious timpani, the first movement presents a gripping struggle.
The middle movements are naturally more relaxed, though the first movement's tenacity comes through again in the chorale in the Andante and the third movement's budding premonitions of glory. Answering that foretaste, the Finale does not disappoint. Following a full-voiced horn call - with more than a dose of Siegfried - the C major theme has both nobility and resolve (so different from Jansons' recent back-footed approach). Throughout we're treated to lavish sound and gritty determination which then boil over in a thrilling coda. Read more ›
Chailly puts into action what he describes as Brahms's 'new universe of sound', the complexity of which 'is even above Mahler and Bruckner'. Certainly Chailly is keen to let us hear those layers, though he's also unstinting in delivering real emotion impact. This is Brahms the true Romantic and the proto-Modernist.
It is well known that Brahms struggled even to start his First Symphony, let alone complete it, so haunted was he by the enormity of following in Beethoven's footsteps. He eventually overcame those doubts and instead flaunted the Austro-Germanic symphonic heritage in the C minor-major dialectic of the work. Following their own recent survey of Beethoven, Chailly and the Gewandhausorchester bring fresh attack to Brahms's homage. Chailly errs on the fast, though it pay dividends. Underpinned by tenacious timpani, the first movement presents a gripping struggle.
The middle movements are naturally more relaxed, though the first movement's tenacity comes through again in the chorale in the Andante and the third movement's budding premonitions of glory. Answering that foretaste, the Finale does not disappoint. Following a full-voiced horn call - with more than a dose of Siegfried - the C major theme has both nobility and resolve (so different from Jansons' recent back-footed approach). Throughout we're treated to lavish sound and gritty determination which then boil over in a thrilling coda. Read more ›
18 of 20 people found the following review helpful
By Earwicker
Format:MP3 Download|Amazon Verified Purchase
As with all complete sets of symphonies, quartets, sonatas or whatever, it's usually possible to find better performances elsewhere of any individual piece. Kleiber's famous recording of the fourth with the VPO is still, I suppose, the best, and I like Harnoncourt in the second; perhaps Chailly could've taken a few more risks in the finales of nos. 2 and 3, where I miss the spontaneity of Furtwangler. Nonetheless, everything presented here is very very fine indeed, and I would say that this recording of the first symphony is probably the best on record.
On the whole, then, this is at the very least the most recommendable complete digital version. The orchestral sound is lithe, textures are incredibly clear, and the preparation was obviously meticulous. Each work unfolds in a way that leaves you in no doubt that the conductor has thought about it carefully over many years. I noticed details in the scoring that I hadn't before, or that hadn't been given their proper place in performances I'd heard to date. Yet nothing's exaggerated; there's no obvious micromanaging of the kind that can sometimes marr Harnoncourt's conducting, or any 'left of field' tempi or sonorities a la Gardiner. The detail is the result of careful thought, a virtuoso orchestra properly rehearsed, and a conductor who knows and loves the music and knows what he's doing. It's perhaps worth adding that the transcriptions of the Liebeslieder and piano pieces are hugely enjoyable too.
On the whole, then, this is at the very least the most recommendable complete digital version. The orchestral sound is lithe, textures are incredibly clear, and the preparation was obviously meticulous. Each work unfolds in a way that leaves you in no doubt that the conductor has thought about it carefully over many years. I noticed details in the scoring that I hadn't before, or that hadn't been given their proper place in performances I'd heard to date. Yet nothing's exaggerated; there's no obvious micromanaging of the kind that can sometimes marr Harnoncourt's conducting, or any 'left of field' tempi or sonorities a la Gardiner. The detail is the result of careful thought, a virtuoso orchestra properly rehearsed, and a conductor who knows and loves the music and knows what he's doing. It's perhaps worth adding that the transcriptions of the Liebeslieder and piano pieces are hugely enjoyable too.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
›
Go to Amazon.com to see all 6 reviews
4.2 out of 5 stars
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not Brahms
Amazingly well played but Chailly misses what the music is all about. I love Brahms symphonies but the they must be performed with passion and insight. Read more
Published 8 days ago by Staffan Sundkvist
5.0 out of 5 stars
Dark and alluring
A superb traversal of the Brahms symphonies. The dark lustre of the Leipzigers coupled with the penetrating genius of Chailly is perfect. Read more
Published 29 days ago by Dr. M. Scott
3.0 out of 5 stars
Brahms Symphonies etc. Chailley
Brahm's symphonies have always been problematic when it comes to recordings. He has all too often been accused of stodgy orchestration which doesn't help. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Timbo
New customer? Start here.
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
