Search - Johannes Brahms, Günter Wand, Hamburg North German Radio Symphony Orchestra :: Brahms: Symphonies Nos. 1-4 (Box Set)

Better fare is available

Jeffrey Lee | Asheville area, NC USA | 08/04/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"The Symphonies of Brahms in particular regularly keep me alert to the possibilities of new and rewarding adventures in discovery and enjoyment. When it comes to sets of these works, it is difficult, of course, to find a conductor who hits a home run by emphatically touching all four bases (symphonies). A number of factors might be responsible for one's falling short. Sometimes, it's the lack of fantasy, inspiration, loving care, revealing colors and nuances or just that "special" feel. In other instances excesses may contribute to nonfulfillment. For example, in the last movement of the First Symphony Wand is somewhat overdriven. At times, he is also choppy. In the Third Symphony's first movement his pace is too fast, and occasionally, as in the First Symphony, he comes down too hard. In the composer's lovely second and third movements, the poetic element is virtually nonexistent, and again, the pace is too swift. Finally, in the last movement Wand permits some mannerisms to stifle the music's continuity...As for his Brahms Second, I find it rather characterless. The second movement reminds me of Szell's--emotionally cool...In the Brahms Fourth, Wand reverts to short changing the music's lyrical element...For more satisfying, complete one box sets, I prefer Jochum/Berlin Philharmonic (mono) in DG's "Originals" series and Weingartner (mono) on Capitol/EMI. Incidentally, Weingartner shows that even when the pace is relatively accelerated one can still project a melodic quality. The best collection in stereo of the Four Brahms Symphonies by the same conductor is, I feel, Bruno Walter's with the Columbia Symphony, but you must purchase INDIVIDUAL discs on Sony. I also like Klemperer/Philharmonia, but though EMI now offers his performances in a single container, I prefer the sound on his previous individual EMI issues, which seem headed for deletion. The latest Brahms/Klemperer recordings as well some other recent reissues by EMI seem to have lost a bit of the slightly warmer, more natural sound the former recordings had. I admit this is a personal call; therefore, others might feel differently.

"

None More Musical

J. F. Laurson | Washington, DC United States | 01/27/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I rarely stop looking for perfect performances and have an unhealthy habit of doubling and quintupling up works that I already own. Rarely does a performance come by that is so outstanding, so immediately satisfying all my desires, that I stop looking for new or even different recordings of the works in question. Maurizio Pollini's rendition of the late Beethoven sonatas is one such performance (although it hasn't kept me from amassing some 20-plus versions of each of those sonatas), G.Wand's Brahms is another.



Incredibly musical, these four recordings (in great sound, now that they are remastered) exude a vitality that is beyond words. G.Wand is the ego-less conductor who disappears in the music making, leaving only Brahms and the listener. The result is a most thankful one, indeed. I am nost suggesting you throw away your Abbado, Karajan, Walter and Bohm (the rest can probably go, though) - but these are the performances I always turn to, the ones that never disappoint me, no matter what mood I am in. That's more than I can say about most recordings.



This may sound like hyperbole - but except for the handful of people I know who don't rank this set atop their Brahms collections all others would agree that it isn't."

Can vary by taste but this set is outstanding IMHO

Bigbalagan | Medway, MA USA | 01/16/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Brahms (unlike, say Mozart) can be effectively performed in a wide range of styles, so personal taste is a big issue with the various versions of his symphonies. My feeling is that (because of this variability in Brahm's music) a range of performances might be enjoyable. Amongst the ten or so I'm aware of, Wand's is the most satisfying. But I also really enjoy Lennie's versions, even though he is rightly accused of slowing them down almost to a crawl---but they are nevertheless Brahms. If you are looking for a set of the Symphonies, however, you can't do much better than these."