Brahms Symphony Cycles

[Daverz]

Hmmm.  Back in the days of vinyl when RCA pressings (with dynagroove) were horrid I developed the a very negative impression of RCA which I have never shaken off.  Aside from a few "Living Stereo" recording with Reiner I don't know if I have a single RCA  recording.

RCA seemed to go downhill fast in the mid-60s, with the big exception of the recordings they made with Previn.

[Renfield]

Hmmm.  Back in the days of vinyl when RCA pressings (with dynagroove) were horrid I developed the a very negative impression of RCA which I have never shaken off.  Aside from a few "Living Stereo" recording with Reiner I don't know if I have a single RCA  recording.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think I recall you mentioning having heard Levine's early Mahler at some point - on RCA.

As for the Brahms, I was definitely impressed enough by his later 3rd with the VPO to add the Chicago cycle re-release to my 'buy ASAP' list.

[Scarpia]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think I recall you mentioning having heard Levine's early Mahler at some point - on RCA.

No, you must be thinking of someone else, I didn't even know those recordings existed until that box set came out.

I have an enjoy a number of Levine recordings, but no Mahler.

Thinking back, the only RCA set's I can think of on my shelves (aside from the classic RCA Living Stereo recordings from the Reiner era) are a set of Roussel symphonies with Janowski and the old Beethoven string quartet cycle with the Guarneri.

[Renfield]

No, you must be thinking of someone else, I didn't even know those recordings existed until that box set came out.

I have an enjoy a number of Levine recordings, but no Mahler.

Thinking back, the only RCA set's I can think of on my shelves (aside from the classic RCA Living Stereo recordings from the Reiner era) are a set of Roussel symphonies with Janowski and the old Beethoven string quartet cycle with the Guarneri.

Apologies. I must have conflated a comment from you about Levine with some by Sarge on his Mahler. Though this is quite off-topic, I found that Mahler set is interesting, and quite well-recorded, if not quite something to write home about in sonic terms.

(Which may or may not translate to your 'horrid', depending on one's particular expectations!)


Further, since you mentioned Janowski, there's his Ring on RCA as well, similarly well-recorded, in that artificial-yet-well-realised way. I hear he's redoing it for Pentatone, similar to his redux of the earlier Brahms (back on topic!) cycle with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic.

[Leo K.]

This set is becoming a favorite of mine, been listening to the 4th this afternoon, and it's a wonder of rhythmic coherency with great details from the orchestra. There is something to capture at every twist and turn of the recording.

[xochitl]

i just heard the 1st symphony with abravanel and: oh my god!

will make my way through the rest of the cycle for sure...

[Brian]

From tsrauser in the Buy & Sell board, I recently received Harnoncourt and Wand/NDR. Harnoncourt's Third was almost operatic in its supercharged emotion... looking forward to contrasting the two conductors for sure.

[betterthanfine]

Bumping this thread to ask all of you Brahms nuts for a recommendation!

I currently have these four cycles in my collection:

Klemperer/Philharmonia
Karajan 1960's
Levine/Chicago
Bernstein/VPO

And single discs of the fourth by Kleiber/VPO and Abbado/BPO.

I'm looking to add another one, preferably a modern cycle with good sonics and a smaller (HIP?) orchestra. Any particular ones I should look into? The Mackerras set on Telarc is looking good. What do people think of the Gardiner recordings?

[North Star]

There are also Daniel Harding's recordings, if I recall correctly, they're with a small modern orchestra.

[Octave]

Since there's been some discussion of RCA here, and some really superlative recommendations of Günter Wand's RCA (?) Brahms cycle, has anyone heard rumblings of a forthcoming Wand edition that might include that Brahms cycle, or for that matter, any other ~RCA Wand?  I ask only because it seems like the Brahms/Wand/RCA is swiftly dropping out of availability, as did that nice-looking but awkwardly large (sorry, I am child of the compact disc) Wand GREAT RECORDINGS box.

That Japanese Wand "Live" box from last spring looks great---the Lübeck Bruckner 8th!  I need it!---but it doesn't seem to contain the 1982~83 Brahms recordings that I have heard praise for.

A new 33 CD box of Gunther Wand "Live Recordings" compiled by Sony/RCA
Korea becomes available at most Japanese classical sites on May 10
2012. A few links:

http://tower.jp/item/3095653/Gunter-Wand-Live

http://www.hmv.co.jp/en/product/detail/5040197

http://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B007WYU3HM

Are there any Wand completists out there who care tell us how much of
this is previously issued, readily availalbe, not available, etc?

Track Listing from Tower:

DISC 1
Brahms, Johannes: Symphony No.1 in c Op.68 Symphony Orchestra Chicago
Recording: 1989.1, Chicago, Orchestra Hall

DISC 2
Bruckner, Anton: Symphony No.3 in d (Version 1,889) NDR-
Sinfonieorchester Recording: 1992.1.12-14, Hamburg, Musikhalle

DISC 3
Bruckner, Anton: Symphony No.4 in E-Flat "Die Romantische" NDR-
Sinfonieorchester Recording: 1990.6.17-19, Hamburg, Musikhalle

DISC 4
Bruckner, Anton: Symphony No.6 in A (Original Version 1879-1881) NDR-
Sinfonieorchester Recording: 1995.5.15, Hamburg, Musikhalle

DISC 5
Bruckner, Anton: Symphony No.7 in E (Original Version 1881-83) NDR-
Sinfonieorchester Recording : 1992.3.15-17, Hamburg, Musikhalle

DISC 6-7
Bruckner, Anton: Symphony No.8 in c (Haas Edition) NDR-
Sinfonieorchester Recording: 1993.12.5-7, Hamburg, Musikhalle

DISC 8
Bruckner, Anton: Symphony No in .9 d (Original Version) NDR-
Sinfonieorchester Recording: 1993.3.7-9, Hamburg, Musikhalle

DISC 9
Beethoven, Ludwig van: Symphony No.1 in C Op.21 NDR-Sinfonieorchester
Recording: 1997.12.7-9, Hamburg , Musikhalle
Beethoven, Ludwig van: Symphony No.2 in D Op.36 NDR-Sinfonieorchester
Recording: 1999.2.21-23, Hamburg, Musikhalle

DISC 10
Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus: Serenade in D K.320 "Posthorn"
Beethoven, Ludwig van : Symphony No.4 in B-Flat Op.60 NDR-
Sinfonieorchester Recording: 2001.4.8-10, Hamburg, Musikhalle

DISC 11
Beethoven, Ludwig van: Leonore Overture No.3 Op.72B- NDR-
Sinfonieorchester Recording: 1990.6.17 -19, Hamburg, Musikhalle
Beethoven, Ludwig van: Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Op.55 "Eroica" NDR-
Sinfonieorchester Recording: 1989.12.10-12, Hamburg, Musikhalle

DISC 12
Beethoven, Ludwig van: Symphony No.6 in F Op.68 "Pastorale"
Beethoven, Ludwig van: Symphony No.5 in c Op.67 NDR-Sinfonieorchester
Recording: 1992.10.11-13, Hamburg, Musikhalle

DISC 13
Schubert, Franz: Symphony No.3 in D D. two hundred NDR-
Sinfonieorchester Recording: 1992.11.29-12.1, Hamburg, Musikhalle
Schumann, Robert: Symphony No.3 in E-Flat Op.97 "Rheinische" NDR-
Sinfonieorchester Recording: 1991.9.15-17, Hamburg, Musikhalle

DISC 14
Schumann , Robert: Symphony No.4 Op.120 in d NDR-Sinfonieorchester
Recording: 1990.9.30-10.2, Hamburg, Musikhalle
Schubert, Franz: Symphony No.8 in b D.759 "Unfinished" NDR-
Sinfonieorchester Recording: 1991.4.21 -23, Hamburg, Musikhalle

DISC 15
Schubert, Franz: Symphony No.9 in C D.944 "The Great" NDR-
Sinfonieorchester Recording: 1991.4.21-23, Hamburg, Musikhalle

DISC 16
Brahms, Johannes: Symphony No.1 in c Op.68 NDR-Sinfonieorchester
Recording: 1996.4.21-23, Hamburg, Musikhalle

DISC 17
Brahms, Johannes: Symphony No.2 in D Op.73 NDR-Sinfonieorchester
Recording: 1996.7.9-11, Hamburg, Musikhalle
Brahms, Johannes: Symphony No.3 in F Op.90 NDR-Sinfonieorchester
Recording: 1995.4.9-11, Hamburg, Musikhalle

DISC 18 Brahms, Johannes: Symphony No.4 Op.98 in e NDR-
Sinfonieorchester Recording: 1997.12.7-9, Hamburg , Musikhalle

DISC 19 -20
Bruckner, Anton: Symphony No.5 in B-Flat (Original Version 1875-78)
NDR-Sinfonieorchester Recording: 1989.10.8-10, Hamburg, Musikhalle
DISC 20
Bruckner, Anton: Symphony No.6 in A NDR -Sinfonieorchester Recording:
1988.12.4 / 5, Hamburg, Musikhalle

DISC 21-22
Bruckner, Anton: Symphony No.8 in c (Haas Edition) NDR-
Sinfonieorchester Recording: 1987.8.22-23, Luebecker, Dom

DISC 23
Bruckner, Anton : Symphony No.9 in d NDR-Sinfonieorchester Recording:
1988.6.24-26, Luebecker, Dom twenty-four

DISC 25
Schubert, Franz: Symphony No.8 in b D.759 "Unfinished"
Schubert, Franz: Symphony No.9 in C D.944 "The Great" Berliner
Philharmoniker Recording: 1995.3.28/29, Berlin, Philharmonie

DISC 26
Bruckner, Anton: Symphony No.4 in E-Flat "Die Romantische" Berliner
Philharmoniker Recording: 1998.1.30-2.1, Berlin , Philharmonie

DISC 27
Bruckner, Anton: Symphony No.5 in B-Flat (Original Version 1875-78)
Berliner Philharmoniker Recording: 1996.1.12-14, Berlin, Philharmonie

DISC 28
Bruckner, Anton: Symphony No.7 in E (Original 1881-83 version)
Berliner Philharmoniker Recording: 1999.11.19-21, Berlin,
Philharmonie

DISC 29-30
Bruckner, Anton: Symphony No.8 in c (Original Version) Berliner
Philharmoniker Recording: 2001.1.19-22, Berlin, Philharmonie

DISC 31
Bruckner, Anton: Symphony No.9 in d (Original Version) Berliner
Philharmoniker Recording: 1998.9.18/20, Berlin, Philharmonie

DISC 32-33
Bruckner, Anton: Symphony No.4 in E-Flat "Romantische Die" (Version
1878-1880; Nowak Edition)
Schubert, Franz: Symphony No.5 in B-Flat D.485 NDR-Sinfonieorchester
Recording: 2001.10.28-30, Hamburg, Musikhalle

taken from:
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/rec.music.classical.recordings/Y-npofKwRuQ

[SonicMan46]

Bumping this thread to ask all of you Brahms nuts for a recommendation!
I currently have these four cycles in my collection:
Klemperer/Philharmonia
Karajan 1960's
Levine/Chicago
Bernstein/VPO
I'm looking to add another one, preferably a modern cycle with good sonics and a smaller (HIP?) orchestra. Any particular ones I should look into? The Mackerras set on Telarc is looking good. What do people think of the Gardiner recordings?

Well, first surprised that I'm not subscribed to this thread! 

Currently, I have 3 sets (several more culled out in the past), including the Klemperer - my two more recent additions are below, i.e. Mackerras & Dohnanyi; as you state, the Mackerras will in part satisfy your criteria of a smaller orchestra w/ good sonics - the instruments are 'mixed' w/ period brass ones - several short reviews reprinted HERE; a number of 3* ratings on Amazon which appear to simply be a preference for a LARGE band, IMO.

Dohnanyi is w/ the Cleveland Orch from the late 1980s-90; super bargain on the Amazon MP for 4 discs (includes a couple overtures & the Violin Concerto).  I could add another set and will be quite interested in other posts - good luck in your selection(s)!

 

[TheGSMoeller]

My complete sets...

Mackerras/Scottish CO - Telarc
Levine/CSO - RCA
Bernstein/VPO - DG
Solti/CSO - Decca
Harnoncourt/BPO - Teldec
Karajan/BPO - DG (80s)

I find the most consistent of these sets to be Mackerras and Levine, and Harnoncourt's sounds fresh and unique (similar to his Schubert cycle) so it's never too far behind, plus it contains my favorite No.2. I should say that much of my enthusiasm for Mackerras is in Telarc's sound and the crisp and balanced display of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. I do find their No.1 to be tad dull, but great in the other three. Bernstein's is slow in all the right places, and slow in all the wrong places.

Unfortunately, none of these sets hold my favorite No.4, at the moment that would go to Kleiber, and surprisingly Barenboim/CSO. To me, the 4th is all about the tempi, and these two get it right, especially with a swift finale. 

[MishaK]

That Japanese Wand "Live" box from last spring looks great---the Lübeck Bruckner 8th!  I need it!---but it doesn't seem to contain the 1982~83 Brahms recordings that I have heard praise for.

Oh, but it contains his 1989 live Brahms 1 with CSO! That is pure gold. The interpretation is not meaningfully different than his NDR version, but a) it has the electricity and spontaneity of a live performance, which is an ingredient often a bit missing in studio Wand, and b) that orchestra is leagues better than 1980s NDR. Just a stupendous performance.

[Herman]

I would go to three or four recorded cycles:

Kubelik BRSO on Orfeo for pure music making, lyrical and for lack of a better word, Bayerisch: sunny.

Wand with the NDR, live mid nineties, for a 'Northern' reading. Orchestral colors (and Brahms was a master colorist) are suppressed, but the intensity is great.

Giulini in a mixed collection: 1 and 2 from Los Angeles, 4 from Chicago and 3 from Vienna. Grand, de luxe readings.

Kempe in Munich.

Occasionally I pick Bernstein's 2 or 4 from Vienna or Haitink, Amsterdam or Boston (not London).

[Mirror Image]

I own zero Brahms. I traded it all with my Dad in exchange for some RVW, Prokofiev, and Bartok I didn't own.

[Leo K.]

I own zero Brahms. I traded it all with my Dad in exchange for some RVW, Prokofiev, and Bartok I didn't own.

Nothing wrong with that! 

[Brahmsian]

I own zero Brahms. I traded it all with my Dad in exchange for some RVW, Prokofiev, and Bartok I didn't own.

I don't own any Brahms either, John.

Brahms owns me! 

[Mirror Image]

Nothing wrong with that! 

[Mirror Image]

I don't own any Brahms either, John.

Brahms owns me! 

[DavidRoss]

There are also Daniel Harding's recordings, if I recall correctly, they're with a small modern orchestra.

I have Harding's 3rd & 4th (and his violin concerto with Isabelle Faust) and like them quite a bit. Note that I do not care for the over-stuffed, densely padded, thick-textured Big Band Brahms that predates the HIPsters.