Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)

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

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kishnevi

Quote from: orfeo on September 26, 2014, 03:14:02 AM
The Brahms chamber expedition has brought me back to the Second String Sextet, op.36, which was busy bowling me over back in March when I first bought it.

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It's still having the same effect. The first movement is amazing. The OPENING of the first movement is amazing. It has this extraordinary veiled quality.

The second movement 'scherzo' isn't initially all that scherzoid (?) and feels like it's going to just patter glumly along, but I love how in the middle it explodes into the major and gets far more vigorous. And the slow movement is just sublime... it has that special restrained yearning quality that Brahms can generate, and then it finally lets loose a bit, and after that seems a little happier but is still reaching out and unfolding.

And then the finale swings by in 9/8 time. Lots of shifts in tone, sometimes scurrying and sometimes bold, but always a fitting conclusion to this work.

You know, it's still early days with this piece, and even with my Brahms exploration as there's quite a few works to come in this listening project that I don't know well or don't know at all, but I think this is well on the way to becoming a personal favourite.
Catching up on this thread....I had the same general reaction to the sextets, although the recording I first heard them on was this one

amw

I've been staying away from older recordings of the Brahms violin sonatas—many of the violinists from the Golden Age of Analog seem to use lots and lots of grating vibrato, or have incredibly screechy and metallic high notes thanks to tape degradation, or whatever.

However I am now listening to this and, in spite of heaps of vibrato and other things that normally annoy me, all I can say is wow. Such violin. Much tender. Very expression. Amaze.


Jo498

It's been years that I heard it, but I remember Grumiaux/Sebok as comparably "cool". Despite your dislike of older recordings, I'd recommend Szeryng/Rubinstein (around 1960, stereo) and Oistrakh/Richter (late 60s or 70s, live, only 2+3) for more passionate readings.
Tout le malheur des hommes vient d'une seule chose, qui est de ne savoir pas demeurer en repos, dans une chambre.
- Blaise Pascal

amw

Hmm. My tastes in Brahms seem to veer towards introspection and restraint, rather than outright passion per se: L'Archibudelli, Jochum, Domus, Pollini &c. I find a special fragility and sweetness, a conscious refusal to over-Romanticise, in Grumiaux that I didn't find with the other two you mention. Possibly I've just been starved for good violin playing though, having been raised on Isaac Stern's recording.

Chung also seems quite good, but hers is significantly newer, I think, and a bit more overtly demonstrative.

Jo498

O.k., I understand your preferences. Another standard rec that is not as overtly romantic is Suk/Katchen. I should re-listen to Grumiaux, but personally I was rather fascinated by the more passionate Oistrakh/Richter after I got to know the pieces with the recordings by Grumiaux and Suk. At least for the last sonata I think the passionate approach is spot on.
Tout le malheur des hommes vient d'une seule chose, qui est de ne savoir pas demeurer en repos, dans une chambre.
- Blaise Pascal

Wanderer

Quote from: amw on October 14, 2014, 09:28:20 PM
I've been staying away from older recordings of the Brahms violin sonatas—many of the violinists from the Golden Age of Analog seem to use lots and lots of grating vibrato, or have incredibly screechy and metallic high notes thanks to tape degradation, or whatever.

However I am now listening to this and, in spite of heaps of vibrato and other things that normally annoy me, all I can say is wow. Such violin. Much tender. Very expression. Amaze.

Favourites in these works include Zukerman/Barenboim, Dumay/Pires, R.Capuçon/Angelich and Kremer/Afanassiev. The recent (and already positively reviewed) Kavakos/Wang sounds quite good (on Spotify) and is on my wishlist.

Mandryka

One old one which particularly impressed me is Szymon Goldberg with Artur Balsam.
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

Jo498

Kremer/Afanassiev is perversely slow. I do not remember any more about it than this feature...
Tout le malheur des hommes vient d'une seule chose, qui est de ne savoir pas demeurer en repos, dans une chambre.
- Blaise Pascal

Karl Henning

Quote from: Jo498 on October 15, 2014, 07:43:12 AM
Kremer/Afanassiev is perversely slow. I do not remember any more about it than this feature...

Hm, I do not remember having any quarrel with that . . . .
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

Artem

Quote from: amw on October 14, 2014, 09:28:20 PM
However I am now listening to this and, in spite of heaps of vibrato and other things that normally annoy me, all I can say is wow. Such violin. Much tender. Very expression. Amaze.


;D

Madiel

It's been a while, but finally back on my Brahms chamber exploration with a work I already know a bit, the Horn Trio, op.40.

The version I have is Sebok, Grumiaux and Orval. Seems oddly appropriate as people have been talking about the Sebok/Grumiaux pairing in the violin sonatas!

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Such a wonderfully balanced work, between the more melancholy music with the sort of autumnal quality that the horn gives (and which is very Brahmsian) and the faster, hunting-call based music. Another outright winner for me, with no weak spots. This Brahms bloke sure is good!  ;)
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lescamil

Quote from: amw on October 14, 2014, 09:28:20 PM
However I am now listening to this and, in spite of heaps of vibrato and other things that normally annoy me, all I can say is wow. Such violin. Much tender. Very expression. Amaze.



I love you so much for this right now.
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Artem

That CD has become one of my favorite Brahms' CDs in my small collection. The run from Ave Maria to Begrabnisgesang to Alto Rhapsody is amazing. But I didn't find Schicksalslied all that special, although I read that it is suppose to be one of Brahms' stand out works.

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J

How does this compare with the older Abbado & Blomstedt issues of these works?  Has anyone heard all three?

SonicMan46

In the last half dozen or so pages of this Brahms general thread, there seems to be scant discussion of his Symphonies - I just left the post below in the 'listening thread' but expect little response, so decided to put a duplicate here.

Currently, I own the 3 sets below (added the 3rd pic) and like them all for different reasons - the Dohnanyi set includes the Violin Concerto and the Klemperer the German Requiem - the most controversial seems to be Mackerras (at least looking over the Amazonian comments).

SO, maybe a 'fresh look' at some of the favorite 'Brahms Symphony' sets on the forum - I'm sure we have some newer members wanting to explore these works - thanks.  Dave :)

QuoteBrahms, Johannes - Symphonies et al - own 3 sets of these works (the other is w/ Klemperer which includes the German Requiem) - listening to the ones below @ the moment - really like Dohnanyi & the Cleveland Orchestra; now, the Mackerras has received a lot of 'mixed' reviews on Amazon, likely related to his chosen ways of performing these works?  Dave :)

   

Jaakko Keskinen

I've started to listen more to Brahms's lieds, genre I haven't been that interested in before. I really like op.48.
"Javert, though frightful, had nothing ignoble about him. Probity, sincerity, candor, conviction, the sense of duty, are things which may become hideous when wrongly directed; but which, even when hideous, remain grand."

- Victor Hugo

Artem

Quote from: SonicMan46 on December 21, 2014, 08:14:39 AM
In the last half dozen or so pages of this Brahms general thread, there seems to be scant discussion of his Symphonies - I just left the post below in the 'listening thread' but expect little response, so decided to put a duplicate here.
SO, maybe a 'fresh look' at some of the favorite 'Brahms Symphony' sets on the forum - I'm sure we have some newer members wanting to explore these works - thanks.  Dave :)
I have Harnoncourt set, but haven't had the time to explore it yet other listening to the First Symphony just ones.

My introduction to the 3rd and 4th symphonies was with the following CD and I immediately fell in love with the 3rd:

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amw

This is an interesting recording I came across recently, containing the Violin Concerto and Symphony No. 4.



Features include HIP elements (articulation/vibrato/etc—possibly some instruments as well?), a chamber sized band and some interesting rethinking of things. Also tempi that are reasonably historically accurate.

Drasko

While we are on topic of recent recordings of symphonies has anyone heard Thielemann's Dresden cycle?

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trung224

Quote from: Drasko on December 26, 2014, 02:42:19 AM
While we are on topic of recent recordings of symphonies has anyone heard Thielemann's Dresden cycle?

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   I have this one. About playing, it is typical Staatkapelle Dresden, precise excecution with refined, dark sound.  A fairly slow tempo cycle, just like the old Sanderling's with the same orchestra, but Thielemann puts his stamp by occasionaly fluctuating tempo (but well judicious). The standout for me is the Third, it ranks with James Levine's account with VPO as my favorite digital performance and the Violin Concerto with violinist Bastiashvili, but otherwise is great too. Actually, I prefer it to the more progressive cycle by Chailly and LGO on Decca.