Search - Johannes Brahms, Cristian Mandeal, "George Enescu" Bucharest Philharmonic Orchestra :: Brahms: Symphony No. 3; Variations on a Theme by Haydn

Johannes Brahms, Cristian Mandeal, "George Enescu" Bucharest Philharmonic Orchestra
Brahms: Symphony No. 3; Variations on a Theme by Haydn
Genre: Classical

Track Listings (5) - Disc #1
1. Symphony No. 3 in F major, Op. 90: 1. Allegro con brio
2. Symphony No. 3 in F major, Op. 90: 2. Andante
3. Symphony No. 3 in F major, Op. 90: 3. Poco Allegretto
4. Symphony No. 3 in F major, Op. 90: 4. Allegro
5. Variations on a Theme of Haydn for orchestra in B flat major (St. Anthony Variations), Op. 56a

CD Details

All Artists: Johannes Brahms, Cristian Mandeal, "George Enescu" Bucharest Philharmonic Orchestra
Title: Brahms: Symphony No. 3; Variations on a Theme by Haydn
Members Wishing: 0
Total Copies: 0
Label: Arte Nova Classics
Original Release Date: 1/1/2007
Re-Release Date: 8/7/2007
Genre: Classical
Style: Symphonies
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPC: 723721308650

Synopsis

Album Description

Brahms's Third Symphony was written during the summer 1883 in Wiesbaden in the Taunus Mountains, where Brahms liked to spend his holidays. Brahms made light of his new work when writing to his editor, Fritz Simrock: "You see, it is such a small symphony that it could be achieved within eight days." The Variations on a Theme by Joseph Haydn were composed during the summer of 1873 but previously existed in a version for two pianos (Op. 56b). The theme of the "Haydn Variations" originates from the second movement of a Divertimento for Winds. Today it is doubted that Joseph Haydn was its original composer. The Romanian Philharmonic Society was founded in 1868, Its conductors have included significant figures in Rumanian music not to mention Enescu himself, whose name the orchestra incorporated into its title in 1955. The current conductor is Cristian Mandeal, who studied with both Karajan and Celibidache. He has conducted numerous major orchestras and more than forty world premieres.

CD Reviews

Serious

David Saemann | 03/21/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I had to listen to this disc four or five times before I felt like I was getting a handle on what was really going on. Initially, my attention just drifted. The orchestral playing was consummately beautiful, smooth and luxurious. I couldn't get past the surfaces to hear what was going on. I now feel that this is the darkest interpretation of the 3rd Symphony that I've ever heard. There is a chamber music feel to the entire performance. Flowing melodies yield to morbid passages in the twinkling of an eye. There is no exposition repeat in the first movement, which ordinarily would bother me. Here, the feeling of the expression is so intense that the absence of the larger structure in the first movement doesn't disappoint me at all. The Haydn Variations also receive a very dark performance. It is quite slow, over 20 minutes long. The first few variations are highly ruminative. Throughout the work, the instrumental colorings are brooding and dark. The return of the main theme at the ending sounds tense rather than majestic or jubilant. The 1995 sound engineering is beautiful, conveying every detail of the performances truthfully. I don't know if I would recommend this disc as a primary repertory selection, but no one adding it to a larger collection should be disappointed. Just give yourself time to accustom yourself to the individual expression of the recordings."