Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)

Started by BachQ, April 07, 2007, 03:23:22 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 2 Guests are viewing this topic.

Karl Henning

Hah! I am a fan of more Brahms, always, and if we need to repeat the exposition to get it . . . .
Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

TheGSMoeller

Quote from: karlhenning on January 09, 2014, 10:19:26 AM
Hah! I am a fan of more Brahms, always, and if we need to repeat the exposition to get it . . . .

I hear ya! I sometimes create my own repeat and replay the entire 3rd symphony all over again.  ;)

Sergeant Rock

#702
Quote from: TheGSMoeller on January 09, 2014, 09:59:44 AM
Sarge, do you have a favorite from this list?

Paita, I'm afraid...afraid because it's been long out of print and used copies aren't cheap. It's swift (check out the timings), incredibly intense and the timpanist had a field day  8)  The brass are spectacular although the winds aren't as good. Paita conducts it like a HIP Beethoven Tenth. Gielen is a close second.

Quote from: karlhenning on January 09, 2014, 10:08:29 AM
If only Szell had taken the repeat . . . .

Yeah, I miss the repeat.

Sarge
the phone rings and somebody says,
"hey, they made a movie about
Mahler, you ought to go see it.
he was as f*cked-up as you are."
                               --Charles Bukowski, "Mahler"

Brahmsian

Now listening to some of my favourites of good 'ole JB!  8)

Brahms

String Sextet in B flat major, Op. 18
String Sextet in G major, Op. 36


Alberni Quartet

Roger Best, viola II
Moray Welsh, cello II

Brilliant Classics Cube


TheGSMoeller

Time to finally wrap up the Gardiner/Brahms cycle with No.4 and No.1. Sampled these on Spotify and must say that I find these to be beyond marvelous. The tone from the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique is smooth and attractive, and the smaller sized string section allows for incredible detail from the woodwinds. The only other recordings I own that are similar in style to Gardiner is from Mackerras on Telarc, which I have always praised. But I feel that Gardiner and the Romantique will become the go-to set for Brahms performed in this style, or possibly in any style, these are that good. In fact, I'm so enamored with these performances, that their 4th might be the one to finally make me fall in love with this uneven piece (I've always had a love/hate relationship with the 4th, more love though of course). Gardiner and Co. perform it with an almost classical touch, especially the second movement Andante Moderato which is paced properly and not treated as an Adagio (Solti!!). And a third mvt. Allegro giocoso that feels less fanfare-ish or triumphant.
Some very nice fillers feature choral pieces from Brahms, Schubert and Bach on the four discs.

[asin]B002SK8GHO[/asin] [asin]B001DCQJ4A[/asin]

dbrcarson

Quote from: dbrcarson on September 21, 2013, 06:40:53 AM
But through all of that technical stuff somehow he expresses something, which is why his music was somehow (miraculously) very popular in a time where the radicalism of Wagner and Liszt was in vogue.

That's one of the core reasons I love Brahms so much. He stays "on the ride side of the line between sentiment and sentimentality."

Brahmsian

Some morning Brahms:

Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat major, Op. 83
4 Klavierstucke, Op. 119


Karin Lechner, piano

Eduardo Marturet, conducting
Berliner Symphoniker

Serenade No. 1 in D major, Op. 11

Frans Bruggen, conducting
Radio Kamerorkest

Brilliant Classics Cube

Madiel

I just had my first listen to the second string sextet (op.36), and after about 10 seconds I had to check that I had in fact selected the correct disc and track. And then I had to stop and restart because I'd completely lost focus.

What an extraordinary sound that chromatic bass is. And there are similarly surprising passages elsewhere - sounds that I honestly never expected to hear from Brahms. Especially not somewhat early Brahms!  It sounds like music from a later generation of composer.

The liner notes for my disc (Hyperion, Raphael Ensemble) quote Sir Donald Tovey saying it is 'the most ethereal of Brahms's larger works'. On a first listen that certainly seems accurate. There's some quite eerie music in there!
I am now working on a discography of the works of Vagn Holmboe. Please visit and also contribute!

Octave

Quote from: orfeo on March 24, 2014, 11:42:22 PM
[...]second string sextet (op.36)[...]There's some quite eerie music in there!

Word up
Help support GMG by purchasing items from Amazon through this link.

TheGSMoeller

Was seriously just listening to the Nash Ensemble recording of the two sextets yesterday, great works, Orfeo. I might have to checkout the Raphael Ensemble disc.

[asin]B000PFU8M0[/asin]

North Star

The Raphael recording is wonderful, Greg. Time to listen to it, I think..
"Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it." - Confucius

My photographs on Flickr

TheGSMoeller

I posted this in the New Release thread too, but Takács is releasing the Quintets with Lawrence Power, samples sound incredible, as with all of the Takács Hyperion releases...

[asin]B00I65216C[/asin]

TheGSMoeller

Quote from: TheGSMoeller on March 25, 2014, 04:57:08 AM
I posted this in the New Release thread too, but Takács is releasing the Quintets with Lawrence Power, samples sound incredible, as with all of the Takács Hyperion releases...

...and their previous two Brahms discs are spectacular. I love how closely recorded the musicians are, you can hear every minute detail from their instruments, and the lower registers from the cello and viola are strongly present. Hoping for Takacs to continue and record the piano quartet no. 3, Op. 60, even though it would remove one of their violinists.

[asin] B001F4YGVY[/asin]  [asin] B000WE5G62[/asin]

North Star

Quote from: TheGSMoeller on March 25, 2014, 06:01:45 AM
...and their previous two Brahms discs are spectacular. I love how closely recorded the musicians are, you can hear every minute detail from their instruments, and the lower registers from the cello and viola are strongly present. Hoping for Takacs to continue and record the piano quartet no. 3, Op. 60, even though it would remove one of their violinists.

But Hamelin & Leopold String Trio have already recorded rather fine versions of them on Hyperion - wouldn't it be better to have them record other repertoire, perhaps a new Bartók set, Schubert D887, Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Janáček, or 2nd/1st Viennese School composers..

[asin]B000JCDRZY[/asin]
"Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it." - Confucius

My photographs on Flickr

TheGSMoeller

Quote from: North Star on March 25, 2014, 06:15:02 AM
But Hamelin & Leopold String Trio have already recorded rather fine versions of them on Hyperion - wouldn't it be better to have them record other repertoire, perhaps a new Bartók set, Schubert D887, Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Janáček, or 2nd/1st Viennese School composers..

[asin]B000JCDRZY[/asin]

+1 for the Prokofiev, these would sound great with the Hyperion/Takács combo.

Madiel

I'm listening to the sextet again, and I pulled up a copy of the score online to understand what the blazes I'm hearing at the beginning. AHA! Open string on the top note of the 'wobble', so that it keeps reverberating while the bottom note is played. Very clever. And very memorable.
I am now working on a discography of the works of Vagn Holmboe. Please visit and also contribute!

Brahmsian

Perhaps the best 1-2 punch you can have on one disc of Brahms' entire output.  8)

Piano Quartet in G minor, Op. 25
Piano Quartet in C minor, Op. 60

Listening to the performance by:

Han, piano
Faust, violin
Giuranna, viola
Meunier, cello

Florestan

Quote from: ChamberNut on May 13, 2014, 07:15:00 AM
Perhaps the best 1-2 punch you can have on one disc of Brahms' entire output.  8)

Piano Quartet in G minor, Op. 25
Piano Quartet in C minor, Op. 60

Listening to the performance by:

Han, piano
Faust, violin
Giuranna, viola
Meunier, cello

+ 1
Every kind of music is good, except the boring kind. — Rossini

Brahmsian

Now listening to some Brahms!  :)

Clarinet Sonata in F minor, Op. 120/1
Clarinet Sonata in E flat major, Op. 120/2


Karl Leister, clarinet
Ferenc Bognar, piano

Viola Sonata in F minor, Op. 120/1
Viola Sonata in E flat major, Op. 120/2


Nobuko Imai, viola
Harris Goldsmith, piano

From the Brilliant Classics Brahms Cube