Many of the best versions of Brahms' ever-popular First Symphony are now boxed up in complete cycles, and so you're going to see a lot of those here, along with some individual efforts too. There are far too many recordings of this perennial favorite to discuss more than a very select few, but then that's the point of picking the BEST, isn't it? Here are sixteen fabulous recordings offering a wide range of interpretive options.
As a side note, while Klemperer was recording these symphonies in London in 1956, his wife Johanna suffered a heart attack and was hospitalized in Munich. The sessions were stopped while Klemperer rushed to her, but her physician urged Klemperer to return to work as his bedside presence could do Johanna little good. She died just as he finished work on Symphonies 1, 2, and 4. The EMI people and Philharmonia musicians, aware of Klemperer's difficult situation, were startled at his concentration and determination, which once again proved his indomitable spirit in the face of personal crisis.
How tragic this story about Klemperer'wife passing is!!! Eternal love to great Otto Klemperer.
Thanks for this particular chat David, this is one of my longest loved works! After being told by my piano teacher to buy Brahms piano works to learn, I ended up exploring the symphonies. The first one I got was from one of the large HMVs in Oxford Street (which have since passed) and was Barenboim with the CSO. A brilliant set and I particularly love the 1st and the 4th. I do now multiple sets - I think it’s eight or nine at present but a couple have come close to Barenboim’s. I look forward to exploring the choices you’ve suggested, once I finish the video that is! Best wishes, Dan
It's taken me a while to watch this as I needed to find the time given the duration of the video 🙂 Great to see Dorati mentioned, I love those performances, definitely a sleeper! And the Jochum, too. Actually I remember buying both the Dorati and the Jochum when I was 18 on a weekend trip to NYC. I was trying to get as many Mercury recordings as I could (as I couldn't get them in London) but I also picked up the Jochum DG Brahms. Two splendid sets. And I was one of the watchers waiting for Klemperer... 💯 first choice. Actually not heard the Furtwangler NDR one so I'll be hunting for that now. As an avid viewer of this channel I just want to take this opportunity to thank you again for sharing stories, recommendations, humour, interesting facts... Thanks Dave! 🙏🏻
David, Firstly thank you for your choice of best Brahms 1. I have not been a Brahms fan to be honest ( I have liked it but not loved it) however, this performance has tuned me in to the Brahms symphonies. The Klemperer recording is a wonderful performance it is so …I not sure how to explain it but the words cohesive, complete when referring to phrasing and balance come to mind and especially the bass lines are so satisfyingly beautiful. This recording really transcended my body an soul …really. Exciting, reflective and totally engaging performance. Just marvellous! I will be listening to other Brahms performance’s but really this one is going to be tough To beat. Thank you again for your wonderfully insightful you tube presentations, I have learnt so much. Cheers
Great to watch you presenting Stokowski's recording as the first one. I cherish it mainly because of this vivid memory: during my high school years in The Netherlands, I became addicted to listening to BBC Radio 3 (on AM - half a century ago!). Thus, in 1972, I listened to the broadcast of Stokowskis' 60th-anniversary concert conducting the LSO: Meistersinger prelude, Prelude a l'apres midi d'un faune, Glazunov Violin Concerto with the 21-year old Silvia Marcovici, and Brahms' First after intermission, followed by Tchaikovsky's March Slave as the encore accompaniment sending the audience home. That encore was performed after a brief speech by Stokowski, who welcomed especially all those in the audience who had been waiting in heaven to be born after his LSO debut, and now were present in the hall to hear the same program. Whereupon he sent everyone off with March Slave. Another memory, from 1969: Karajan and his Berlin Phil in Amsterdam's Concertgebouw during the Holland Festival. Mozart Concerto for three pianos, with Jörg Demus, Christoph Eschenbach, and, at the keyboard in the middle between the two, Karajan Himself. Then Brahms' First after intermission - for which, instead of a regular rostrum, a huge instrument crate had been placed in front of the orchestra. During the very last chords of the Finale, Karajan literally conducted by jumping, lifting both feet off the crate. It was obvious why folks in Berlin dubbed the Philharmonie "Zirkus Karajani"... That notwithstanding, this is the other Brahms 1 which is forever in my memory.
Thank you for sharing this memories! btw the Brahms 1 is contained in the DECCA Phase4 box CD 16&17 Anniversary concert!
Thanks Dave for your feisty and informative reviews! I recently discovered Kertesz/VPO Brahms symphonies and am enjoying them very much. They feel fresh and alive! I've long loved Jochum Brahms 1 with the LPO. I wish they would release the 4 symphonies in that series alone. Quite hard to find them apart from the big Jochum Warner box.
Klemperer! I got the LPs on special import from Germany some forty years ago. I wore them out and now have the CDs and have never missed an opportunity to listen to the symphony on the radio for variety! The first recording I had access to was the old HMV Vienna Philharmonic set on 78s with Bruno Walter. I wore them out too! I enjoyed this video very much! Best wishes from George
Yay for Dorati! Wonderful contrabassoons and trombones. Lovely rumble and growl :-)
I love the Stokowski Brahms 1st so much! The 1st movement goes well, as it seems to with most performances I know. The middle movements have an immediacy and intensity I I have not encountered in any other recording. And the finale-not my favorite symphonic movement- builds and flows magnificently. The whole thing is wonderfully musical.... and that Stokowski sound!!!! Okay I am done raving :) Thanks David!
Those seeking the Furtwängler Brahms 1 recommended by Dave can also get it in the Music & Arts four CD set of "Furtwängler conducts Brahms." The set gives priority to the wartime recordings, with all the sonic issues that Dave has gone over, but there is also a recording of the Haydn Variations from October 27, 1951 (from the same NDR program as the Brahms 1) and a Brahms 3 from April 27, 1954 with the Berlin Philharmonic. The last Berlin Phil concert recording that Furtwängler made during the war was the Brahms 1 from January 23, 1945, but only the last movement survived (and it's in the set).
it was a thrill finding your channel after reading your reviews for years and helping to guide me in quality classical recordings. oh and once i bought it, I knew Klemperer was the definitive Brahms 1, mighty, titanic, humane, sweeping, and unforgettable.
Great to hear!
I imprinted on the Szell Brahms 1. After listening a few times I shrugged Brahms 1st off and listened to his other 3 symphonies exclusively. Around 6 months ago I signed up for the Insider subscription and found your review on the Klemperer recording. I purchased the record and my jaw hit the floor during the first movement. I finally realized what I had been missing! Thanks as always. My favorite videos are the long music chats & the repertoire recordings. My wife dislikes the repertoire videos because she knows what's coming on the next credit card statement.
Thank you! Apologies to your wife.
Streamers take note: Sometime over the last couple of months, since the last time I checked for the very Mackerras recording in this video but came up empty, it seems as if the entire Telarc catalogue, most of which had not been available to stream, has been added to the services, with Mackerras's Brahms (the Serenades too) now at your fingertips. Same with all the Levi, López-Cobos, Shaw, Kunzel, etc. -- it's all there.
Your move, Hyperion.
Thanks a lot!
@@flowsouth8496 you're absolutely right!
When I acquired my streaming system, Linn was also unavailable. So I sunk decent $$ into downloads of Mackerras's Mozart Symphony sets, some of my own faves. Then about two months later -- you guessed it. Linn put up all their stuff in super-duper HD. Oh well. I do purchase the occasional Hyperion (like just about everything by Stephen Hough), but otherwise, with inflation and all, prefer to pinch my pennies.
Who needs services when you don’t have liner notes
Thank you for mentioning the Dohnanyi Cleveland recording, which has always been my go to performance especially in the first symphony! It is beyond exciting and at the same time transparent and so true to the text. And as much as I like the Mackerras recording I do believe the Sawallisch / London Phil cycle deserves a mention: Sawallisch definitely knew the Steinbach traditions and executes them in the most natural way. The cycle is a sleeper and gets better with every listen, I'd highly recommend it. I'm sure you have your reasons why it's not mentioned, just wanted to say (if anyone reads the comment): it's worth giving it a shot!
Fascinating as always. I'm happy to say I have several of these recordings. I went from Mackerras as my first experience of Brahms all the way over to Klemperer next. Quite a lesson in the art of interpretation.
Hi Dave. I especially liked your brief discussion of your “faves” versus your “however”. It taxes the depth of our adjectives and analogies to pinpoint the precise differences but it gives permission to distinguish the serious listener from the serious critic. There are some performances with better sound that I put aside for others with what to me is better musicality. Walter’s pre-war Brahms third is one example. Bottom line, you discuss excellence as a critic and appreciate what moves us as serious listeners. Thanks as always. PS: Your site is the first thing I turn to each morning. It is a partial antidote to the news. Much appreciated.
Making these videos is a partial antidote to the news! Thank you.
I have several of these, including some sets--- Jochum (the big Warner box), Walter, Klemperer, Mackerras, and Dochnanyi. The Klemperer LP box set had the most amusing photos, almost caricatures of him. A sleeper is one by Munch with a Paris orchestra. I tuned in on the radio while driving and it was so exciting when I got to my destination, I had to listen to it to the end even though I was late for a meeting in part because I wanted to see who was playing and conducting. I also bought the Houston set just in part to support the local band. Eschenbach came back for a guest appearance recently and a fine performance of Brahms 1.
Just listened to the Mackerras recording and finally fell in love with the piece! I’ve always enjoyed the 1st least of the four since (love 2, 3, 4 immensely since I first heard them). I wonder if my issue was just that the first movement and its turgid orchestration always sounded too ponderous (and I say this as someone whose favorite symphonist is Mahler). The first movement Allegro swings like Mendelssohn and the string pizzicati in the finale introduction sound like ballet music. It makes a work that always felt like an obligation for me into an easy companion. Thanks too for all the wonderful videos - the channel’s been a great way to re-listen to familiar rep on unfamiliar recordings and discover new pieces after a winter of listening to mostly heavy metal albums (which is what I think the 95 minute Gielen Mahler 6 should truly be classified as).
You might like the first movement in the Günter Wand performance Dave mentions.
I agree, I listened to all Dave suggestions and they were all nice, but Mackerra's rendition was the one that surprised me most because it was just so easy and smooth to listen to, time went by so fast....
Dave I enjoy hearing you speak when I find a classical music piece I love on KZhead and not sure of what year it was recorded. Sometimes you help me with that. So I thank you!!
Thanks, Dave for another great review. I have the Abbado, the Giulini LAPO/Munch/Klemperer and the Jochum--I got the latter as you recommended the box set on Warner--he (Jochum) is such a fantastic and under-rated conductor.Because of that --I purchased the Eloquence set of his choral music which I love just as much.
Letsss goooooo Who else is awaiting the rest of the Dvorak Symphonies?
Klemperer! I couldn't agree more Dave. I can still remember all those years ago when the needle hit the vinyl for the first time and those thundering first notes. I really believed I had my system cranked up so loud I was going to damage it. But no, that was Klemperer as a force of nature coming through my speakers. I always believed his was a very personal performance, because all these years later I've never heard anyone come within a country mile of his interpretation, although GIulini's Philharmonia performance runs it a very, very close second. As always, excellent choices Dave.
The only thing keeping Klemperer from being perfect may be the engineering. Winds are just too loud. The clarinet solo in 3rd movement ISNT a solo on most recordings! And balance is off other places. The engineers seemed to want EVERYTHING in focus. Still, spectacular performance!
Brahms 1st was the first peice of what a called "serious " music..it was on cassette tape given to me on my 16th birthday..unfortunately I don't remember either conductor or orchestra but I was so mesmerized by it..I played it so many times I wore it out..as I got older and acquired more knowledge I realized how a recording can make or break a peice of music..all of the details involved..conductors interpretation, orchestral ability and the acoustics of the hall along with the actual recording aparatus..I am eager to listen to Brahms 1st again armed with more knowledge..I really enjoy your discussions on great music 🎶 .
Dave, I cannot tell you how much I enjoy your videos. You and I are about the same age so invariably our tastes are often quite similar.. for example, I had to laugh out loud when your top recommendation for the Sibelius violin concerto was Mullova. Couldn’t agree more, it was one of my first cd purchases back when cds were released and I was blown away. Now, I also think Zimmermann’s recent recording is quite good as well, but it it doesn’t supplant Molluva. But, that’s not why I’m commenting. I have a question for you. Can you clarify your pick regarding Karajan’s Brahms 1st? In your video going thru the complete Brahms symphonies you recommended Karajan’s 1978 recordings, but here, for the 1st alone, you recommend his later digital set. So, am I right to assume that either set would be a good recommendation for the complete symphonies? Thanks.
Yes, either would be fine. I think I prefer the later one very slightly on sonic grounds, as I tried to explain. Thanks for commenting.
Hi Dave, wow great, great video. Brahms first, actually one of my favs symphonies by anyone. As a kid when I first heard it, on radio i was a bit disappointed, not Beethoven 10th to me. BUT, my first LP was Klemperer, and wow, did I love it after that. So of course, Klemperer is my number one. I have Dohannyi with cleveland also, but on teldec. Is that the same performance as the Warner? My favorite historical recording if I may add, id the new york philharmonic with Bruno Walter. Its so energetic, dramatic, and not bad sound either. What I love about it is that the horns and brass are not buried in the string texture. So many great recordings have that same issue. Once you hear those horns, especially in the 1st movement, you miss them when theyr buried under the strings. I now realize, I have, a LOT of Brahms. Since I own many of those you list. BTW agree about your Dvorak conjecture. I'd rate the best of Dvorak up against anyone else. Sorry to ramble. Love your talks. Take care. Paul
Yes, it's the same.
Thank you so much for these videos. I live a rather isolated expatriate existence (in a small town in the land of Dvorak) and this is like having a great friend online. Brahms 1 has been special to me for about 60 years now - I was born 1948. i have had positive experiences with 'used' CDs from Amazon and got four more (from your list) for less than 30 dollars. Other versions i already had lurking in box sets which i have not found time to plough through - such as the Dorati in Mercury box 3, am listening to the last movement now, and he makes it such a dance. Můžete být hrdí na to, co vracíte.
just discovered your channel, dear sir! Wonderful!
Glad you enjoy it!
Hi Dave, based on your video, I purchased the Karajan digital box and it is really great in sound and interpretation. In fact, DG probably chose the analog 4th Symphony to be able to squeeze all 4 works onto 2 CDs and not exceed the 80 minute limit, since the digital 4th is a bit longer. However, there is also a 2CD box where this suddenly no longer plays a role and really all 4 versions of the digital cycle are included.
OMG!!! DH!!!!!! That was a marathon but it was great. No wonder you waited. Lol. Take a break and have a great Memorial Day Weekend. I happen to have/lucky enough
After two long years I am going to back in Carnegie Hall. 6/1,,Cleveland. Its going to be great to be back.
There's a unique feature of Jochum's London Phil performance. In the coda of the finale, at the reprise of the chorale, the timpani doubles the bass line for the entire passage, alternating single hits and rolls. I thought it was thrilling and made me wonder why no other performance I've heard, including Jochum's earlier DG recording, incorporates the timpani in this way. Is it because it's considered inauthentic? To my mind, if you have modern timpani capable of playing additional pitches, and can use them to good effect in a climactic passage, then why not use them? Smoke 'em if you got 'em.
You said it! Totally inauthentic, but who cares?
As a teenager my first exposure to Brahms was Klemperer’s recording of the first symphony. The extreme tragic tone of the opening with the soaring strings and pounding timpani and Klemperer’s phenomenal handling of the last movement ignited my lifelong love for Brahms. I did not realize at the time how special a recording it really was historically. I have thought that perhaps the emotional inspiration for the first movement was the death of his friend and champion Robert Schumann. I understand that Otto Klemperer’s wife had passed away prior to this recording.
Me too. I have come to love others as well, but there’s nothing like that opening in the Klemperer performance.
I came to a lot of classical music without any mentorship or guides, by just picking CDs/LPs almost at random at my university's music library and playing them over headphones (sometimes while studying). Interestingly, my intro to the Brahms first was that Mackerras recording, which is listed here for being so distinctive. I still love it. I have no problem with a "granitic" opening, but that Gunter Wand recroding (not mentioned much so far in the comments) has a knock-out 1st movement - you were right! I love that extra bit of pacing. The Levine CSO is a tad quicker too than his Vienna recording, which is why I think I prefer it. (Beinum, which I discovered in the comments below, also has that drive I like.) Anyway, I am going to devote some time to Klemperer ... thank you as ever for the survey but also your meta comments about (1) comments and (2) Brahms/Dvorak.
Growing up Szell/Cleveland was the recording that I listened to and got me to love the piece, so I was curious to check out Klemperer and Levine. Thanks so much for your review--I am glad I did, I was startled at how much better both were, and especially Klemperer. I thought two things really distinguished the recording--the tremendous dignity in the conception and the amazing singing quality that all sections seem to partake in. As a result the first movement seems to me more tragic and the last movement more redemptive.
I thoroughly enjoyed Mackerra's rendition of Brahms Symphony No.01, it was very light and refreshing as you said Dave, smooth and easy to listen. Not sure exactly how Brahms wanted his music interpreted, but we do have many great choices to listen to.
As always, so enjoyable and so useful at the same time. You are absolutely right, there are many really first-class recordings of the first out there. I have always found Rudolf Kempe (Munich Phil), Jochum's older recording (with the Berlin Phil), Klemperer's strong statement but also Karajan's 1978 Berlin extremeley interesting, for different reasons each. Solti / Chicago is also excellent and the playing is superb. I think Haitink's really worthwhile Brahms first is with Boston Symphony, perhaps dry but very well thought out, not the well-known Concertgrebouw recording. But maybe that's because I attended Haitink's concerts in Boston several years ago and I remember how serious the impact of his Brahms was.
I've found that the recording that made you first fall in love with a piece, often the first performance you heard, is the one you still love. For me it was the Columbia Symphony Orchestra (whatever that really was) recordings with Bruno Walter. They just sound "right" to me. Love that cycle.
I will always love th Bruno Walter for the reasons you mention. I started collecting in middle school and Walter records were budget priced. Luckily they are also great performances and my first if most of the music. The Mahler 1st, Bruckner 4 and 9, Dvorak new world. All the Brahms. They hold up many recordings and performances later. With the Brahms 1st, it's possible, and maybe unavoidable, that we all have more than one favorite.
@@jefolson6989 Yeah, I had the budget priced Walter recordings, then CBS / Sony released the same performances about 8 years later with considerably cleaned up sonics and I bought all those. I donated the older budget disks to the local library. I've listened to many recordings since then, Bernstein, Abbado, Klemperer, on and on, but I keep on loving those Walter recordings. I tried out the Jochum recordings that Hurwitz likes so much, and they are very good ones, worth recommending for sure. Right now, I'm all about Sibelius so I guess I'll have to see what Hurwitz has to say about those.......... in a few months.
I love the Columbia Sympnony Orchestra, but it was two different pick-up orchestras, one of the east and one on the west coast! I cut and paste "The Columbia Symphony Orchestra was an orchestra formed by Columbia Records strictly for the purpose of making recordings. In the 1950s, it provided a vehicle for some of Columbia's better known conductors and recording artists to record using only company resources.[1] The musicians in the orchestra were contracted as needed for individual sessions and consisted of free-lance artists and often members of either the New York Philharmonic or the Los Angeles Philharmonic, depending on whether the recording was being made in Columbia's East Coast or West Coast studios." I think they are amazing on the Walter recordings!
@@eddihaskell most of Walter's were made in Beverly Hills. There are quite bit better than the east coast group. Part of it was Walter, but the players tended to stay, so after a couple years they were a cohesive unit and essentially Walter's own personal orchestra. I'm amazed at the Bruckner 9th. And Mahler. Not the sound of a pick up orchestra, but one steeped in the tradition of the great germanic composers. The recorded sound is warm and spacious. If a newbie wanted to start his personal library, I would tell them to start by grabbing all those Walter recordings. All the Brahms and Beethoven, and Mahler symphonies. You can't go wrong! ( he is my favorite conductor)
A bit of a factoid: Walter's Columbia Symphony recordings were made in the American Legion Hall on Highland Avenue in Los Angeles. It had (has) superb accoustics which is one of the strengths of Walter's performances. Not certain why it's not used for the L.A. Phil.
Great reviews! I think Klemperer’s is my favourite Brahms Cycle.
Amazing video, Dave! Thank you very much. With some hope I think I can cure my lack of love for Brahms. He's cold-blooded (except for some works here and there) to my ears.
It took me a very long time. The two piano concerti helped win me over to the symphonies, as did finding more lyrical approaches to the symphonies, which aerate the congestion and expose the contrapuntal genius obscured by the density of orchestration. Szell and Muti did this for me.
@@petekohn nice comment, thanks.
Yes! I loved the shoutout to Dvorák's nº3. Symphonies nº 3 and 4 get somehow neglected because they're a bridge of sorts between the two early attempts and the already mature and fully-fledged nº 5. Specially nº 3, because it's so different from nº 4 (which I also adore BTW), that sets the path that he followed afterwards. As David said, nº 3 is an early masterwork, but its tone and aesthetics are more operatic and free than the later woks, which sets it in a category of its own. I wish they played it more frequently, but I think I've never seen it on a concert program...
Thanks for this long but helpful repertoire talk. Hard not to agree that Klemperer's Brahms First is the greatest ever recorded. Yet my affection lies elsewhere, with more lyrical conceptions. Or maybe I should say lyrical but not schmaltzy or undisciplined. Jochum is certainly in that category, and concerning the conductor I might be disposed to say that he's the greatest underappreciated conductor of the 20th Century. I'm delighted that you keep advocating for his recordings. Also in the category just mentioned is Bruno Walter, the absence of whom from your talk I found puzzling. His mono NY Phil recording by no means wallows in Viennese Gemütlichkeit. It's fairly brisk, intense and soulful. It sings throughout. So does his later, but slacker Columbia Symphony reocrding, which is still hugely lovable. So also the Munch, which you rightly praised; one of my formative musical experiences as a child was attending a BSO concert at which Munch raised the roof in this symphony. Twenty years later I attended another concert at which Solti did the honors with Brahms 1--and it was as dull as ditchwater. Fortunately his Decca recording if the piece is quite grand, and sounds to me oddly like Klemperer. For grandeur you can't do better than Böhm's Berlin version from the early 1960's. There's also two wonderful Beinum recordings (Decca mono and Phillips stereo), both of which fit into my paradigm of lyricism, affection and discipline, and the Phillips version sports the glorious sounds of the Concertbebouw. In the end, though, I have to say, as I did with my comments on the Sibelius Violin Concerto, that "I love them all equally, but for different reasons."
Beinum is my “go to” Brahms 1. Stately, impeccably played, but rich with emotion. You can feel Beinum’s rich humanism in the performance.
@@jparfrey Van Beinum is another conductor whose legacy is apt to be ignored or forgotten. He was the very model of the un-glamorous but profoundly musical conductor. And of course he had perhaps a great orchestra to work with. He was a conductor who really understood how to balance the classical and romantic aspects of Brhams.
@@jparfreyTruer words were never so spoken. He was to assume the post of Chief Conductor of the L.A. Philharmonic. Instead we eventually had to settle for Zubin Mehta. Excuse me while I go have a good cry.
Hi Dave, I am not an expert to add something useful about classical music. I just have to say that I love it. I temporarily hear the Szell Box on my way to my job and love to hear your explanations to so many of pieces of classical music I've explored for me just yet. I hope you can understand my English though I've been an unexperienced spelling German from Saxony. I don't believe in any religion but in you do God bless you!
Thanks for commenting! Vielen Dank!
My gosh as someone who `lived with Litton` heard Klemperer's and it was like listening to the darkest most succulent chocolate shaped as granite. It's a masterpiece.
In my box, set of the complete Decca recordings, the Brahms one is present. It’s a part of the anniversary concert. It’s on disc 18.
Worked in Buffalo, NY, from 1987-1995, and on weekends we would drive 3 hours at 55mph to Cleveland to hear Dohnanyi and the CSO. Great memories.
I lived in San Francisco and took vacation in Cleveland once to hear the Orchestra doing two concert programs in 3 days. It was November. People were surprised that someone would travel from San Francisco to Clevland during a week of crappy weather, but I loved the concerts at Severance Hall!
@olivier... CSO? (Chicago Symp...)
Hello Dave, Thanks for another great Brahms video, enjoyed as always by this Brahms fanatic. Thank you for drawing attention to the Jochum and the Levine-both here and in the cycles video. I’ve had a number of favorites over the years, including Walter (the first one I heard as a teenager, after which I told my piano teacher-I’ll never be the same again), Bernstein, Haitink (with Concertgebouw), the Solti and Karajan (which you mentioned), but these were new to me, and I’ve enjoyed getting to know them-the Jochum for its romantic warmth, the Levine for its blazing intensity-though as you mentioned it’s difficult to forget about the disturbing accusations against him. I’ve always loved the monumentality, seriousness, and ample space in Giulini’s Brahms, and I’m apparently one of those unusual people who actually likes the last Vienna ones the best of all, partially because of the orchestral playing being superior, but also because I don’t mind at all the even broader and more monumental conception. For me, in the First Symphony, not only the “grand exordium” at the beginning, but also the great return of the chorale at the end of the last movement are key moments. I ALMOST (but not quite) eliminate as a contender anyone who doesn’t slow down the chorale there to coincide with its first appearance. I know that Brahms didn’t mark it, but I think that it really is needed. Anyway, I watch your videos almost every day and always look forward to them.
Thank you, and I agree with you about the final chorale. What on earth is wrong with a little rhetorical emphasis there? I can't believe that Brahms would have objected. The proof is that it sounds wonderful if you do it (and also when you don't depending). In any case, Brahms wasn't a monk; his style may have been severe at times, but it wasn't emotionally miserly.
Furtwängler/NDR recording is one of the few, which justify listening to monophonic sound. I feel like sonics are particularly important in orchestral music, you'd want to be able to hear all details and it's a fuller experience, when there's a difference between channels, it usually makes a stronger impression. But Furtwängler and NDR convey the excitement, despite being so old and in mono, because they are for moments, not to bring out every detail. The lacking sound is part of the mystique around this recording. Jochum/London/Warner shares the basic approach, that is, they slow down for softer, quieter passages, It works wonders in Brahms 1st, they're my favourite in this symphony, but I'm going to check more of these via streaming services.
My money is on Jochum's Brahms 1st Although the DG and EMI are quite similar in conception (only EMI has better sonics), the one with Berlin is just so blasted exciting and has remained my favourite since. Boy, just listen to the coda of the finale, it'll knock your socks off guaranteed!
Typical of Jochum, every phrase is cleanly articulated and well executed. I have his Brahms’ EMI cycle but have to closely listen to it. His Bruckner cycle from Dresden has the same qualities, David likes Bruckner’s Seventh as a reference recording, I was equally impressed by his Second as you can hear every phrase and instrumental passages that you don’t here in other performances.
Agree. I will never forget the first time I heard it, despite thinking that I know the work
I confess that Giulini’s LA 1st was my first exposure to the work and to my fresh teenage ears it sounded heavy and plodding and seemed to fit the criticisms of Brahms in general. It wasn’t the best gateway drug, so I put the work (and the composer) aside for many years. Sometime in the Noughties I heard Abbado with Berlin and the world changed. The textures were clearer, the pacing felt just right, the power and the passion were there…. I was hooked. However, my fave is most definitely Jochum in London. I had the EMI Double Forte two-fer which only had symphonies 1-3, so I bought the Warner Jochum box just to get the fourth. Astonishing performances. I also bought the 4CD Klemperer box for the German Requiem and confess (again) I haven’t listed to the symphonies yet, but after your recommendation, I’ll definitely have a listen. Think I might give Giulini a second chance, too.
Giulini’s EMI recordings are quite wonderful. You might try those. But I do like his LA Phil number one and number two. Not a big fan of his later Vienna cycle.
I agree wholeheartedly with your assessment of Levine's Vienna cycle. It didn't make much of a splash back when it was released as I remember it and still seldom makes it into anybody's list of top cycles. Although he had a substantial career in Berlin, Vienna and Munich, he always seemed to get strangely short thrift from reviewers here in Europe. In his autobiography, Domingo tells how some Vienna Phil players had told him that he had the best technique of all conductors they had worked with (this was in the 80s). As the Vienna orchestra isn't normally exactly known for it's diamond-cutting precision, maybe this has something to do with many of his Vienna recordings being so successful (to my ears).
Brahms are the best and this for your video love from France
Oops! For Stokowski's Decca Phase Four recording of Brahms First Symphony, see CDs 17 and 18 in the Decca big box: Stokowski's "Sixtieth Anniversary Concert" with the London Symphony (Brahms First Symphony was the main work on the program back in 1912).
Right! Of course, they could make it easier to find.
Klemperer is my favorite recording of Brahms Symphony No. 1
Hi Dave, I don't usually leave comments, although I always follow your videos. As a Stokowski fan, let me make a small observation: the Brahms First is featured in the big Decca box. It can be found on CDs 17 and 18, which contain the entire exciting concert Stokowski gave in 1972 on the occasion of his 60th anniversary with the London Symphony. Excuse me for my bad English and a dear greeting from Italy!
Yes, I know. I realized it afterwards and several others already pointed this out. Thank you!
@@DavesClassicalGuide I take this opportunity to ask your opinion about a little-remembered recording: What do you think about Gewandhaus/Konwitschny? It was the last recording of this great conductor; there is a melancholic and tragic air about it that has always fascinated me.... Thank you so much for your time!
@@amedeofurtstok9976 It's lovely, and I agree with your description.
One of my favorite symphonies! I have a fetish for the very beginning, because I like the timpani when they give an atavistic air, Rite of Spring-like. To do that the timpani need to come to their own and not sound like they're just going with the beat. Also, the last beat can't be drowned out, which is what a lot of performances do. Hence I can't stand the BPO Furtwangler and I like the NDR one quite a lot. From this highly myopic view, some greats fail: Markevitch, Jochum, and many more. Klemperer is a marvel in those opening bars, as are Dohnanyi, Giulini, Dorati, and Levine. Two who aren't on your list and whose initial drum beats I wouldn't miss are Macal -- and especially Zinman!
Love the "let's be clear FRIENDS" lol
Mr. Hurwitz: I am trying to read through and understand the book written by Christopher Dyment on performing traditions of Brahms symphonies. It is interesting to listen to your comments on Abendroth. I have read somewhere that Toscanini had on a couple of occasions rehearsed orchestras for Steinbach and that he (Steinbach) felt that the orchestras playing was exactly what he wanted. And should Brahms have these many tempo changes as in Furtwangler? (It is a fantastic interpretation quite similar to Bernstein Tchaikovsky Pathetique). Also i wish that you will do a program on what it means when critics such as you say "the a conductor does not get it". For example you often say that Toscanini messed up Brahms 3rd (and other symphonies). I do not hear this and i have been collecting and listening for about 5 decades. Will be wonderful if you could do a program on such an aspect please. Hari
Thanks for your suggestions. I can't do what you ask without permission to play extended excerpts, and few labels will give permission for a critic to play excerpts in a public forum such as this as examples of how bad the artist can be. I'm sure you understand the problem!
@@DavesClassicalGuide Many thanks and i do understand. This one of the problems that i and perhaps many others like me have when trying to understand what critics mean (i had wanted to comment on this after watching your video on the role of critics (very difficult job i must say because sensitive ones such as yourself also have to be concerned about what exactly the listener is listening to)). Maybe you could do a radio program?!! Warmly
The Stokowski mentioned first is a revelation! The fugues in the last movement sound like concerti grossi( as they should) Interesting ideas about Solti. I always blamed the overbrite and loud CSO brass on Solti. " the Solti sound", because they didn't sound like that with guest conductors, but maybe he let them loose. I should blame Herseth and Clevenger. Makes sense. The Levine with CSO is pretty damn good. Love Munch BSO. I will now check out Dorati. Thank you.
Some of the Chicago players from that era have said the blame for the overloud and edgy brass should be assigned in part to the Decca engineers who had their own conception of the orchestra's sound
Speaking of the streaming services, is there any chance that you could start making Spotify playlists of your recommended recordings for each piece to make sure that those of us who stream are finding the right performance by (insert name of conductor)? Or at least the “ideal symphony cycle of composer x” playlist? I have no complaints with this list though, I love the Stokowski, Solti, Karajan, Klemperer…. Also, was DG doing anything special when they did the Karajan early digital recordings that made them more salvageable in the remastering that the other labels (I’m thinking of EMI in particular) whose early digital recordings are screwed up all beyond repair? Or just dumb luck….
Sorry, but I want nothing to do with Spotify. I did sign up, and gave up almost immediately. It's all I can do to keep this channel, ClassicsToday, and my other obligations current. Others have made such lists based on my recommendations, and that is fine with me.
@@DavesClassicalGuide I didn’t want to jump on your toes in case that was a project on your to do list.
David, I’m FINALLY warming up to Brahms’ symphonies. I’ve always liked #2. Anyway, I heard #1 the other night. It may have been Jarvi. (?) Anyway, it moved me. So naturally I went to this video. I listened to the Klemperer, and I can’t imagine a better recording. Then I listened to the Giullini. I liked this and that about it, but I found it a tad slow; except for the Finale. I’ll give it another listen. After that the Jochum and Levine. As if I haven’t developed a Brahms ear worm from it already! But that happens with other composers too.
Good for you!
Totally agree on the Karajan recordings. His Brahms was generally superior to his Beethoven. One of Karajan's 27 recordings of "Beethovens 10th" was the one i learned the piece from, and it is always very moving when the gorgeous Berlin strings intonates the big tune in the last movement. I think Klemperer is a bit of an aquired taste in some repertoire. I will definately check Giulini and Levine out. Keep up the great work, Dave! P.S. Wouldn't the Honegger/Karajan disc on DG fit into your new rarities series?
Yes Hang in there...
I favor a cleaner, quicker, more compact approach to this symphony, especially the opening section. Wand and Szell have been my go-to executors of that style. But I can't deny the power of the more broad, explosive openings, as heard in Karajan's and Klemperer's. I had gravitated toward Karajan's 1960s cycle except in some of the interior movements of 1, 2, and 3 where I treasure the 70's recordings because of really special richness of those textures in the slower movements and danses. But to be honest I really hadn't given the last cycle proper attention. I assumed he just got ever thicker, heavier, more grandiose. But I think you are exactly right about loosening his grip, letting up on the throttle just a touch. That combined with the wonderfully clear digital sound really does produce the best readings Karajan put on disc, particularly of the 1st. Is it possible he picked up the pace in the opening here more than the earlier cycles as well?;) As an aside can I just say that as a result of sampling various cycles on Spotify after you mentioned them here, I just discovered what I think maybe the best Brahms 2 I've heard from this century? I'm sure you'll laugh at the name, but Rattle & BPO. Just nails the tempo that gives it that lilt. From limited listening, the cycle seems quite recommendable overall - not my favorite approach to 1, but Rattle really seems to understand how to get Berlin to feel the spirit of this music. I wasn't expecting a Rattle-Berlin cycle of anything to be this enjoyable.
Heard Rattle/BPO do two Brahms symphonies on tour in Boston-- 2 and 3, IIRC. Marvellous playing! A string section full of soloists all contributing to a high-voltage chamber performance.
PS Bohm’s recording from 1959 with the Berlin Phil is a fantastic First. I much prefer it to his later recordings. It doesn’t hang about and is an exciting performance from this alleged mere kapellmeister. Well worth a listen.
Yes, please do an Abendroth video! This one is fantastic too.
Dave, I grew up with Cantelli/Philharmonia, on vinyl of course, and sadly in mono (shows how old I am!) and I still have to compare performances with that recording. Do you know it perchance? Philharmonia at their best, and what a sad loss Cantelli's early tragic death was. However I will try some of your reccomendations - probably Giulini first. And thanks for your many informative and entertaining videos. (I'm a semi-retired producer, composer, engineer by the way).
Perchance I do.
Thanks Dave. So you DO read all commemts! Boy, that must keep you busy - so many videos!
If you wanted to buy, say, two of these of contrasting variety, where might you start? Jochum/Klemperer? Mackerras/Dorati? No idea where to start. My first and only is Rattle/Berlin...thinking I need to update a bit...
Start with Klemperer.
I knew you would pick Klempi. I can't argue with that pick.
Hi David, when you talk about Furtwängler, it reminds me the way Harvey Keitel treated him in the István Szabo's movie Taking Sides. Yes, this sober, rational perspective is actually very American.
Please don't be silly. Comments like that are so ridiculous.
I can almost hear Brahms 1 with Reiner and Chicago. Even though there isn't one that I'm aware of. Thought I knew what Stoky would be like. I could NOT have been more wrong!
YESSSSSS finallyyy
The best I have are Dorati/London Symphony Orchestra (for its textural interplay and drive) and Jochum/Berlin Philharmonic (for the way it builds and excites), but I also enjoyed the first movement of Marriner/St. Martin In The Fields for its beautiful harmonics and the last movement of a live Haitink/Staatskapelle Dresden for the exciting way it rallied and drove to the finish. The other six movements in those two performances were just fine, but not special. Bernstein/New York Phil left me cold, which surprised me, even with all the individual principals grabbing me when they had their turns in the spotlights. It's really a symphony that requires more emphasis on a tight, cohesive ensemble to work the way it was intended, and Bernstein's forces didn't have that (on that occasion).
I notice that the Brahms1/Klemperer was recorded in December 1955,October & November 1956 and March 1957. Why these long timeframes in recording, any idea?
I love so many of these choices, Dave. Thanks for sharing them. One favorite you didn't mention is Kurt Sanderling's Dresden recording. This cycle is gorgeously played (as one would expect from this orchestra) but is generally a tiny bit too buttoned-up for my tastes. That's even how I would describe the first three movements of First Symphony. The finale, though, is absolutely scorching, with a degree of intensity one doesn't normally associate with Sanderling in nineteenth-century repertoire.
I agree. It's a great cycle, but where on earth do you fine it? I did talk about it in the complete cycles video (I'm pretty sure), but to take one performance out of a box that no one can find? If you've got a source, please share it.
@@DavesClassicalGuide It's on Spotify. That's all I got!
@@msilverz Yes! I also downloaded it from Spotify. Haven’t heard his Brahms 1st yet but the 3rd might be the greatest ever, at least among modern recordings.
@@DavesClassicalGuide prestomusic has both the single First and the entire cycle, both CD and Download. presto also has the Mackerras.
The best Brahms Symphony No. 4 please, Dave,
@mari...1072 Wonder what you think of Kurt Sanderling's recording of the 4th.
My favorite is Claudio Abbado with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. It has all the intensity, passion and excitement that I like about this work. The tempi and dynamics are also great in this recording. One last thing Mr. Hurwitz: what do you think about Karl Bohm and Leonard Bernstein recordings of this work with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra?
I agree that Abbado is excellent--the whole cycle is. But I have spoken very positively about it a lot recently, so I didn't want to do it again. Bernstein is heavy and dull, Bohm is very good, on the whole.
@@DavesClassicalGuide Böhm's recording with the Berlin Philharmonic is much more taut and exciting than his more familiar Vienna recording. Listen, for instance, to the climax of the development leading into the recapitulation in the first movement -- tremendously powerful and exciting.
@@msilverz Yep.
So happy you feel that way. Abbado’s Brahms 1st is absolutely thrilling particularly in the last movement, which can sound stodgy in the hands of other conductors. His 4th is equally fine.
I won’t challenge the omission of Szell, but I will point out that there are 2 very different Columbia stereo recordings of the Brahms 1 by Szell/Cleveland, a decade or so apart. The more widely available version on Sony/Essential Classics is from 1968 (some sources say 1966) and is a bit cold and dry. But the Epic version from 1957 is warmly romantic, more flexible, more exciting, has less dry and closer-miked sound, and has concertmaster Josef Gingold in ii. Both are available on Amazon music.
Yes! I discovered the older recording when I bought the Szell box set. I agree with your assessment of his 1957 recording. Much preferable to his remake.
Ps: Klemperer's Brahms 4 is also fantastic (IMO).
we are so fortunate to have your comments. I will be absorbing your comments and views for a very long time. I thank you. These insights (right or wrong) do have a place in musical education as they are full of insight that many of those who love Brahms do not encounter. thank you, again.
I have an issue with the Brahms first. I love the other symphonies, but for some reason the first has never caught fire with me. I’ve listened to a few recommended recordings (Klemperer, Giulini), but still. It’s my loss, and I’ll keep trying, but I wonder if others have had the same experience.
You aren't alone. Clara Schumann disliked the first movement. She thought it was just plain ugly.
It took me a long time to enjoy this work as well. Funnily, listening to Leonard Bernstein's NYPO recording helped bring me around to it. It's a fast, energetic, driving performance--not at the same level as the ones listed in the video but decent nonetheless. After listening to that one, I found myself appreciating the greatness of Jochum's, Walter's, and Klemperer's more than I had before. I don't know why--maybe I needed to hear an OK performance first before understanding the qualities of the better recordings. I now love the piece, but boy did it take some time.
The last movement is a real test-bench for any conductor
You mean bench press.
@@DavesClassicalGuide yes.. Sorry
Aliens? I guess I WILL have to write the story I had in mind for decades, about my own superhero character The Silver Angel, who is an orchestra conductor, playing the Ninth and the Missa Solemnis before an alien audience as an argument that Earth should not be destroyed. 😁😁😁
I have the Klemperer Brahms 1 and I find this rather ponderous in the opening whereas, when I listened o the Abbado, I thought yes much better. Not too ponderous, (the opening). i haven't heard the Mackerras yet but I hope to.
Keep on listening. You'll get used to it.
@@DavesClassicalGuide okey doke!
Love Levine CSO I understand they did this in one take.
Not only that, but it only got recorded at all because the recording session for Mahler 3 finished early. The musicians had already been paid for their time, and Levine and RCA wanted to make sure they got their money's worth.
Regarding the Karajan digital cycle which contains the analogue 4th, I think that maybe because the sound on the digital 4th is pretty awful. I personally prefer the 1978 4th. I also love his live performance of no.1 from the Festival Hall when everything nearly went belly up because the instruments were late in arriving and the concert had to be delayed. I think that added an extra frisson often lacking with Karajan.
Yes, that makes sense.
I was present at the Festival Hall concert and it was awe-inspiring. However, the quality of the recording leaves a lot to be desired. The interpretation is similar (perhaps inevitably) to Karajan's final recording mentioned here which I adore and would recommend over and above the live recording.
No mention of Böhm’s Berlin recording? It’s a little more obscure than his less interesting and somewhat dull Vienna cycle, but it combines an unquestionable teutonic grandeur and discipline with a really sensible and sound structural interpretation, and unlike Klemperer or Furtwangler I don’t think it ever runs into the territory of becoming too teutonic which can be a real issue with Brahms in particular. It’s also sonically really, really good, which is surprising given it’s an earlier DG stereo recording. There are Karajan recordings from a couple years later that sound considerably worse which is surprising.
Nope.
Curious if there’s any particular reason why.
@@opsec5400 I think I explained it clearly in the video.
Sure, but it’s always interesting and insightful to hear specific comments about specific performances. It’s fine if you don’t have any for this one, I was just curious about your two cents.
@@opsec5400 I understand. I thought you described the performance very well and it didn't require further comment from me.
7:10 "And so the relationship between Brahms and Dvořák usually goes one way: Dvořák was the cute humble adorable * patpatpat * czech peasant, who sat at the feet of the great Brahms and sucked up whatever he needed to and became a better more classical, brahmsian-style composer. But the reality is very, ver different." Perhaps I should write that elsewhere, but I think Dvořák was quite important for the history of string quartet writing. Brahms did write a meager output of 3 exceptions (more or less). But if composers wanted to know, what it means to write a string quartet around 1900, that wasn't just enough to relate to. Of course not all of Dvořák's quartets were known in that time. But composers needed more recent models for quartet writing and Dvořák provided them. Schoenbergs string quartet no. 0 was quite Dvořákian, rather than Brahmsian. I think even in his famous pioneering 2nd string quartet you can hear traces of Dvořák. And I read, that Hindemith's 1st quartet was quite Dvořákian, too.
Apparently Munch had an aversion to the Brahms 3rd. Can anyone out there comment on this? Even in the West Hill Radio set of Munch-Boston airchecks, there is no Brahms 3rd. I believe that at one point RCA put out an LP Munch Brahms cycle, with Reiner's CSO 3rd as the filler.
If true, then good for him. I respect artists who avoid what they don't like rather than doing it badly.
@@DavesClassicalGuide And Munch was in good company...With the exception of the Bach Well-Tempered 48, Sviatoslav Richter would not perform cycles of anything merely for the sake of "completeness." Even when Shostakovich composed a cycle of Preludes & Fugues for him, he omitted some from his performances because he simply didn't care for them.
i heard for the first time in the antiquity this symphonies in the movie ''counterpoint'' with charlton heston ...he playing in this movie a conductor....( 1968)....immediately i buy the record the tomorrow...( with hans swarowsky i thing conducting)oh what a beautiful music for me in this time and today to...and we can heard a part of this symphonies in the movie of claude lelouch ''les uns et les autre'' ( 1983).....and so i prefer a interpretation with little bit slowly in the end of the finale...sorry this is me....and my best is bernstein with vienna on dgg...or bohm with berlin,and i appreciate andrew davis with toronto orchestra......on other way,i read mutch and mutch ( stupid) on this symphonies.....1...'' oh this is the symphonies no 10 of beethoven....! '' 2....'' the theme of the finale look like the theme of ''ode of joy'' of beethoven symphonies no 9''...3....''why brahms d,ont put a choir in the finale of this symphonies....? i'ts better if he do that....( ! )...etc etc....thank you for this video....really interresting...!
Oh to be a tympanist and to play the opening of the Brahms 1
No Bruno Walter or William Steinberg? Horenstein/LSO is super, too! Kubelik/Chicago? Ormandy/Philadelphia? One could live a lifetime without hearing any of those and would be really well off just by listening to your always stellar recommendations. I agree with you 100% about the Klemperer, truly in a class by itself.
This comment made me go back and listen to Ormandy/PO, both the taut 1959 stereo version and then the majestic 1968, and then the intense 1950 mono version. Then Muti’s lyrical version on Phillips. Ormandy’s 1968 gets the prize for me. And beats Klemp because of the player execution and focus on inner voices. And Mason Jones’s horn in iv.
I happen to like the old, fuzzy Weingartner recording. Of course it is a sonic disappointment, and the lows/highs are missing. I do enjoy listening to his ideas of tempo, pacing, and emphasis. However, I would never recommend these versions for a first experience!
Decided to listen to the Jochum and Klemperer as a result of this. Then I reminded myself of Weingartner’s 1939 recording with the LSO. His first and last movements are much faster than either J or K, though his slow movement is quite slow, and third movement similar to the later recordings. Leaving aside 30s sound, Weingartner is very exciting, and the clarinet playing is to die for.
re: your Brahms/Dvorak commentary....I once read (maybe it was something by you!) that Brahms was overheard to say..."If I were half the melodist Dvorak is, I would be the greatest composer in the world!"...........telling stuff, no?
The taken-for-granted leinsdorf emerges with the best Brahms 1st with the Boston, as far as I am concerned.
What? No Simon Rattle? ;)
Most amazing and bizarre use of the Tamtam.......Sir Thomas Beecham in MESSIAH!!!!!!!
Just a question. Why the big Tam Tam behind you,? I know you are a Percussionist , but the Tam Tam is covering up your shelves of your tremendous CD collections.
Do I really have to answer that? And it doesn't--there are no CD shelves directly behind it. Well, just a little one.
@@DavesClassicalGuide I really like your Tam-Tam. It's a very imposing one, the perfect backdrop that fits you to a "T." I only wish you'd strike it just a bit more often. The tone comes through beautifully.
The Tam Tam is iconic.
@@leestamm3187 Yes . I AGREE. David should strike it at the beginning and end of each review
@@richardwilliams473 Please, NO! Once every once in awhile is enough for me. I can't imagine what it must be like to be next to it when it's been struck.
Gunther Schuller, in his book The Compleat Conductor, wrote a long chapter analyzing the First and then making critical comments about dozens of commercials recordings - reading it, you'd think there is no decent recording. His closing paragraph harshly condemns the conducting profession for butchering the work. There are a few recordings he singles out for presenting exciting performances without "excessive distorition": Toscanini, Weingartner, Leinsdorf, Kondrashin, Suitner, Haitink, Skrowaczewski, and "even Stokowski". Only on the last is there agreement. Even though Schuller skewers the Munch/Boston recording, that one is so dramatic and exciting that I don't care what Gunther said. Besides, his own recording is dreadful.
I hope he wasn't referencing the Haitink Brahms 1 on Phillips with the BSO, which I find to be an absolute snoozer until the last 10 minutes or so.
Yes, Schuller and I had a big fight about that one day--it's was great fun. You're right. His own recording is horrible, and I told him so. He was happy that I'd even heard it.
Just starting to watch this but I'm going to guess Klemperer/Philharmonia
Yep, you were right!