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..:: audio-music dot info ::..
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Johannes Brahms: The Four Symphonies
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Label: |
Testament Records |
| Released: |
2000 |
Time:
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68:02 / 55:19 / 75:51
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| Category: |
Classical |
| Producer(s): |
See Artists ... |
| Rating: |
*****..... (5/10) |
| Media type: |
CD - Triple
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| Web address: |
www.testament.co.uk
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| Appears with: |
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| Purchase date: |
2012 |
| Price in €: |
3,00 |
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CD1:
[1] Applause - 0:33
[2] British National Anthem - 1:14
[3] Tragic Overture, Op.81 - Tragische Ouvertüre/Ouverture tragique - 12:54
Symphony No.1 in C minor, Op.68 - Sinfonie Nr.1 c-moll/Symphonie no1 en Ut mineur - 43:20
[4] I. Un Poco Sustenuto - Allegro
[5] II. Andante Sostenuto
[6] III. Un Poco Allegretto E Grazioso
[7] IV. Adagio-Piu Andante-Allegro Non Troppo, Ma Con Brio
CD2:
Symphony No.2 in D, Op.73 - Sinfonie Nr.2 D-dur/Symphonie no2 en Ré majeur - 37:13
[1] I. Allegro Non Troppo
[2] II. Adagio Non Troppo
[3] III. Allegretto Grazioso (Quasi Andantino-Presto, Ma Non Assai)
[4] IV. Allegro Con Spirito
[5] British National Anthem - 1:18
Variations on a Theme by Haydn, Op.56a - Haydn-Variationen/Variations sur un thème de Haydn - 16:48
[6] Chorale (St. Antoni)
[7] I. Poco Piu Animato
[8] II. Piu Vivace
[9] III. Con Moto
[10] IV. Andante Con Moto
[11] V. Vivace
[12] VI. Vivace
[13] VII. Grazioso
[14] VIII. Presto Non Troppo
[15] Finale
CD3:
Symphony No.3 in F, Op.90 - Sinfonie Nr.2 F-dur/Symphonie no3 en Fa majeur - 37:44
[1] I. Allegro Con Brio-Un Poco Sostenuto-Tempo I
[2] II. Andante
[3] III. Poco Allegretto
[4] IV. Allegro-Un Poco Sostenuto
Symphony No.4 in E minor, Op.98 - Sinfonie Nr.4 e-moll/Symphonie no4 en Mi mineur - 38:07
[5] I. Allegro Non Troppo
[6] II. Andante Moderato
[7] III. Allegro Giocoso-Poco Meno Presto
[8] IV. Allegro Energico E Passionato-Piu Allegro
| A
r t i s t s , P e r s o n n e l |
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Philharmonia Orchestra - Orchestra
Arturo Toscanini - Conductor
| C
o m m e n t s , N o t e s |
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2000 CD Testament SBT3167
Recorded live at the Royal Festival Hall, London, in September &
October 1952. First official release. Remastered from Walter Legge's EMI
tapes.
These recordings obtained legendary status quite soon after the concerts
themselves in 1952, but this is the first official release of the
performances on CD (in fact, in any legitimate format), and stem from
Walter Legge's own EMI tapes of the sessions. It must be said from the
outset that these transfers are markedly superior to anything that has
appeared beforehand - certainly much better than the dreadfully
transferred World Record LPs. The performances have, of course, appeared
on CD before - on two releases from Hunt/Arkadia - both versions of
which have now been deleted from the catalogue. In those transfers, the
sound was often dry and brittle, a contrast to the warmth of the present
transfers - even given the difficult acoustics of the Royal Festival
Hall.
The performances of the symphonies are compelling - and certainly much
warmer and more lyrical than his recorded cycle with the NBC Symphony
Orchestra. As interpretations, they rather contradict the impression
that all Toscanini performances were somehow symmetrically constructed,
with tempos often staggeringly similar from performance to performance.
With the exceptions of the First and Fourth Symphonies, these
Philharmonia accounts are often less expansive than the NBC cycle he
recorded in late 1951/early 1952. The notable achievement in this cycle
is the Third Symphony which here receives the most assured of all
Toscanini's interpretations of this symphony - a performance of
considerable sunniness with the most beautiful of cantabile
ever-present. This contrasts with the NBC recording which is slow, lacks
rhythmic tension and seems drawn downwards by an interminably long
beat.
The First Symphony is a powerful performance, although as in all
Toscanini's interpretations of this work he fails to conduct the opening
bars of the work as they should be. These opening bars, with its
unrelenting timpani strokes, are amongst the most grand and profoundly
moving of all passages in the symphonic canon, yet Toscanini, like
virtually most conductors, seems confused by Brahms' marking of
sostenuto. Taken at almost quaver 100, the development of the opening
timpani seems too fast - and he accelerates the timpani ruining the
grand line that Brahm's intended (and for which you have to turn to
Furtwängler or Celibidache to hear correctly played). This aside,
however, the movement develops inexorably, with the contrapuntalism of
Brahm's construction not only implied, but grandly developed. Dynamics,
whilst not as scrupulously observed as Celibidache (the most inspired
interpreter of this symphony) are actually more clearly heard in this
Philharmonia account than in his NBC recording of the work. The opening
drum rolls, even if tempi are wayward, do clearly distinguish between
the opening f and the concluding ff, and in the first movement's main
theme cellos, woodwind and horns play perfectly before the appearance of
the crescendo. In fact, the care given to the woodwind is an example of
this performance's individualism, and this is no more evident than in
the finale with its horn and flute melodies, here played gorgeously by
Dennis Brain and Gareth Morris. The playing here is certainly more
distinctive than on the NBC recording, and recalls another Philharmonia
recording of the First Symphony with Guido Cantelli (a performance
remarkably similar to this one). The trombone's missed entry in the
finale (and then his fluffed notes) do not noticeably ruin what is one
of the very best (and most exciting) recordings of the work available.
Listening to the opening of the Second Symphony, with its low strings
and horn and woodwind exchanges, I was amazed at how much presence
exists in this Testament transfer. Toscanini was reputedly somewhat
worried that string tone was somewhat undernourished, yet hearing the
opening bars and then the entry of the string's first theme, one is
aware of an extraordinary depth of tone. Tempi in this symphony are all
swifter than in Toscanini's studio recording of the work, yet this is
never at the expense of the string's beautifully phrased playing. The
playing is at once lyrical as it is idyllic, with the tunes given a
statuesque presence, the penumbral shading of Brahms' scoring spot-lit
neatly against the borders of lighter melody. The second subject of the
first movement is as song-like as one could ask for, the coda intense
and evocative. If the middle movements are gracious, with felicitous
woodwind playing, the finale, marked Allegro con spirito, is as
grandiose and driven as any. The playing is wonderfully dynamic, the
development to the coda remorselessly laid out before us but not
overdriven in any way. When the triumphal coda appears, one of the most
astonishing things Brahm's wrote (and as similarly transparent as the
closing pages of Bruckner's Fifth symphony) the exuberance is
infectious. The great brass sonorities are here captured magnificently,
strings arching ever higher upwards, horns and trombones radiant to the
close. The cheers at the end say it all!
As I have already suggested, this performance of the Third Symphony is
the finest Toscanini has left us. As if to illuminate the point further,
Manoug Parikian, the leader of the Philharmonia Orchestra for these
Toscanini concerts, later said that for him the most sublime and
unforgettable moment of the series was the third movement of the Third
Symphony. The opening cello theme had, according to Parikian, an unusual
tenderness to it that stirred the depths of human feeling. It was, he
added, "...one of my most profoundly moving experiences, and a lasting
reminder of Toscanini's undoubted genius".
Great recordings of this work are thin on the ground, possibly because
it is Brahms' most misunderstood symphony. It is a work that combines
passion and resignation in equal measure and few conductors have been
able to unite those two contrasting facets into a workable performance.
This is the symphony where Toscanini's tempi are most diverse - the
first movement of this Philharmonia account is almost 1½ minutes faster
than on his NBC recording. Because this symphony, the most unique of all
Brahms' symphonies in that it ends all of its movements piano or
pianissimo, is so emotionally complex it is surprising that Toscanini,
ever the objectivist, is actually able to encourage the Philharmonia to
play with such astonishing weight and passion. The first movement
positively surges, the finale opens in an exhilarating fashion, with
strings astoundingly fleet. In between, the contrasts between the
melancholic phrasing and wild outbursts are laid bare. Pianissimos are
here given suppleness, and the most fearsome fortes seem to come from
the core of the earth, so shattering are they. No wonder this
performance is one of the most memorable things Toscanini did in his
last years.
Almost as memorable, in fact, as the astonishing Fourth. This was the
symphony Toscanini most admired by Brahms - and one can see why. It is a
work of greatness, moving between tragedy and wild exclamation, often
within the same movement. Just as it is the culmination of Brahms'
symphonic output, so it is the epoch making performance on this cycle.
This is the greatest single performance in Toscanini's NBC cycle and
this Philharmonia account is as inspired as that, perhaps the single
most impressive 'live' Fourth ever recorded (and notably different from
an equally great Fourth from Celibidache with the Munich Philharmonic).
The conception is laid out in the grandest of terms, the opening bars
given astonishing presence. The development is built up inexorably, and
the coda to the first movement, still noble and statuesque, generates
enormous energy. Toscanini, crucially, does not slow before the timpani
enter near the penultimate bar, and thus the climactic ending actually
gathers momentum. There is no mannerism here, just the thrill of hearing
the closing bars as they should be played. The second and third
movements appear in this performance more than just intervals before the
extraordinary unwrapping of the great passacaglia of the final
movement. True, we hear the intervention of fireworks from the roof of
the Festival Hall, but Toscanini remains unfazed and the listener cannot
fail to be unaware of the very conscious build up of the layers of this
extraordinary movement. The music arches forward nobly and naturally,
the dynamics amplified by some of the finest wind playing on any
recording of the work. Horns are given astonishing girth, strings play
with the most sensitive of balance. Toscanini does hold back in the
final moments of the movement's coda, but this allows the inevitability
of the triumphant finale to reach its apogee. The moment is sublime.
These are all performances that pay more than repeated listening.
Coupled to the symphonies are performances of the Tragic Overture and
The Variations on a Theme by Haydn , both fine examples of Toscanini's
craftsmanship in interpreting the genius that is Brahms. The playing on
these discs is superb throughout, as one would expect of the
Philharmonia Orchestra of the time. The trombonist may have his problems
in the first symphony, but strings play with passion and the woodwind
are really quite without rival. The brass are majestic. What probably
would persuade me to recommend these recordings over Toscanini's NBC SO
one is the sheer personality of the orchestral playing. You simply do
not hear horn players of the stature of Dennis Brain today, or the
saintly playing of Gareth Morris, Sidney Sutcliffe, Frederick Thurston
or Cecil James on woodwind. To say the playing is heavenly is not an
understatement. The Testament transfers, for the first time, really
allow the greatness of this orchestra of individuals to emerge in the
most clear of terms.
Alan Sander's notes give much of the history behind these recordings -
anecdotes that amuse as much as they amaze. However, neither he, nor
reviewers, have mentioned the BBC talk which Sir Adrian Boult gave about
these concerts, during the interval of the second concert. I assume the
reason the talk has not been reproduced on these discs is because it is
lost from the archives ; if it is not, it is an error that should have
been addressed. However, as an example of one illuminating conductor
talking about another it is probably worth reproducing here:
"I expect there are
few of you listening to me now who missed the first Toscanini broadcast
on Monday. You will have been thrilled by the intense power of
performances, by the way they pressed forward relentlessly to their
climax and, above all, by the way they sang. I remember his calling out
at a rehearsal....'Sing, sing, always sing, even when you are counting
your rests.' Those of us who were lucky enough to be present in the
Festival Hall for Monday's concert will, I'm sure, never forget it. As
Toscanini came onto the platform the entire audience rose to its feet in
homage to the great conductor - a homage, needless to say, without a
trace of hysteria which came from our hearts and our minds. After each
work, as the applause broke out, Toscanini at once had the Philharmonia
Orchestra on its feet and so it was each time he came back. It was
indeed only because the orchestra at the end resolutely refused to rise,
that we were able, with them, to express our deep appreciation to the
Maestro himself. Tonight we have already heard wonderful performances of
the Brahms' Variations on a Chorale of St Anthony and the 3rd Symphony.
And, as last Monday, we heard the music bathed in a brilliant light
with every detail crystal clear and eloquent in a way we hadn't heard
before. Some people have felt it a pity that the programmes are
restricted to Brahms, and some of us might perhaps have preferred the
splendid series of mixed programmes that were planned for the opening of
the Festival Hall when the Maestro's illness prevented us the pleasure
of welcoming him. But I am sure this is part of a definite plan. When
Toscanini came to the BBC in 1939, he said he wished to put, as it were,
a seal on his previous visits with a complete cycle of Beethoven
Symphonies with the Great Mass. Now he goes on to Brahms, a composer for
whom he has shown a special sympathy, unusual among his countrymen, for
whom he has done much. The Latin countries were slower than Austria,
Germany or England in their reception of Brahms' works as they came out.
And Toscanini, both in Italy and elsewhere, did much to further them.
When he was still a young man, I remember hearing of his great powers
from Alberto Randiger, an Italian who was then one of the leading
teachers of singing in London. He said, "He is great, even in the Brahms
symphonies". I've told elsewhere how he interrupted me when I called
him great: "No, no, no not that at all, just an honest musician." Well,
we have heard how honest and how great besides. And now we are to hear
the finest of Brahms' symphonies - the Fourth. I am looking forward with
the keenest anticipation to Toscanini's interpretation of this great
work; above all to the slow movement and the passcaglia - the final
movement. Au revoir, dear Maestro, we want to see and hear you again
soon. "
One of the finest sets yet to appear from the archives of EMI and Testament.
Marc Bridle
By 1952 the Philharmonia Orchestra, in its seven years of existence, had
evolved into one of Europe's finest ensembles. Its reputation was in
many respects consolidated by Herbert von Karajan's role as music
director and orchestra builder, and was further shaped by legendary
guest conductors Richard Strauss, Wilhelm Furtwängler, Victor de Sabata,
and Sir Thomas Beecham, and emerging podium figures such as Guido
Cantelli, Issay Dobrowen, Igor Markevitch, Wolfgang Sawallisch, and
Carlo Maria Giulini. Otto Klemperer's long, productive Indian Summer at
the helm of the Philharmonia lay just ahead.
Orchestra founder Walter Legge's dream of dreams, however, was to have
Arturo Toscanini guest conduct the Philharmonia. They met in Milan,
during the orchestra's spring tour in 1952. At first, the 85-year-old
Maestro expressed reluctance to take on a new orchestra, but he quickly
relented. He and Legge devised six programs of diverse repertoire that
would take place at London's Royal Festival Hall that summer. For
various political and logistical reasons, the concerts were not possible
to schedule as planned. Toscanini had to return to New York in the fall
for his NBC season. It was finally agreed that the Maestro would stop
over in London en route to America and conduct two all-Brahms concerts,
September 29th and October 1st.
Independent label editions of these concerts have long been in
circulation, in sound ranging from muffled and compressed (Fonit Cetra)
to atmospheric and open (Hunt). Testament's new refurbishing, though,
stems directly from Legge's original tapes. Though the basic sonic image
is similar to the Hunt CDs, Toscanini's extraordinary dynamic range is
considerably opened up due to the increased detail and hall ambience.
What's more, Testament presents the music in the order it was originally
heard, including both previously unreleased Britsh National Anthem
readings that opened the concerts (the second one is slightly broader
and more shapely).
More to the point, the interpretations offer a significant gloss on
Toscanini's more familiar 1951-52 studio Brahms recordings with the NBC
Symphony. For one, the Philharmonia was a more tonally alluring,
mellifluously blended ensemble in comparison to its New York
counterpart. This impression is reinforced by the slightly distant
recording quality, which nevertheless conveys the full scope of
Toscanini's incisive yet warm sonority, with plenty of body and bottom
to it. What's more, the wind and brass solos are handled to more
imaginative effect in London. The trombone fluffs in the First
Symphony's finale matter very little. Similarly, the firecrackers set
off at the beginning of the Fourth Symphony's Passacaglia movement might
have been jarring at the time, but because they explode on the beat
they don't ruin the performance. In any case, the London Fourth provides
an equally bracing, slightly more flexible counterpart to Toscanini's
studio version. The Second Symphony always elicited intense geniality on
the Maestro's part, and his NBC rendition is one of his finest
recordings of anything. I prefer it to the Philharmonia version, whose
rushed finale sometimes threatens to spin out of control. While the
First Symphony is demonically taut and highly charged, the lyrical
passages have more breadth and emotional dimension via the conductor's
mesmerizing May 6, 1940, broadcast (available from Naxos and Music &
Arts).
By contrast, the Third Symphony sings out in flowing, judiciously
contoured lines that allow every orchestral strand to be heard, and is
vastly superior to the Maestro's rather stiff and self-conscious studio
effort. Dennis Brain's third movement horn solo arguably crowns a
performance that Legge claimed was the best interpretation of any work
he had ever heard. The wonderfully lithe Haydn Variations mirror
Toscanini's classic 1936 New York Philharmonic version in their fusion
of precision and poetry. And the Tragic Overture's brooding resonance
belies the conductor's apparent distraction: he had started to conduct
what he thought was the First Symphony, only to be unnerved by the
Tragic Overture's sharp opening chords.
Alan Sanders' notes provide an informative context for the performances
in hand. But his assertion that the Philharmonia's "typically English
character of style and timbre brought out particular qualities of warmth
and lyricism in the fiery maestro's interpretations" smacks of
provincialism. A list of the orchestra's personnel at these concerts
also is provided in the booklet. Kudos to Testament for bringing out a
well-produced "official" edition of these milestone concerts, which all
Toscanini's admirers should acquire.
Jed Distler, ClassicsToday.com
Testament's catalog is full of gems, few as important as this set of
Toscanini's legendary 1952 Philharmonia Brahms concerts. Available in
various wretched-sounding pirate editions, this is the first "official"
release, made from EMI's original concert tapes but unpublished because
of contractual conflicts. Toscanini's Brahms is familiar from his
contemporaneous RCA recordings with his NBC Symphony. But these are
quite different from the driven and unyielding RCAs, made more
unrelenting by dry, airless engineering. With the Philharmonia, we get a
warmer, more lyrical Brahms, though no less intense. The 85-year-old
conductor is rhythmically less rigid and his phrasing more flexible.
Even the Third Symphony, never a comfortable fit for Toscanini, comes
off well, while the more lyrical Second is as poetic as it is intense.
But there isn't a weak performance on this set, and the quicksilver
Variations rival Toscanini's classic 1936 recording with the New York
Philharmonic. Throughout, his often episodic approach in the late RCA
Brahms recordings is replaced by an ebb and flow that brings the music
to life.
The Philharmonia is magnificent under Toscanini's baton, playing with
warmth and imbuing brief solo turns with imagination. Trombone fluffs in
the First's finale and firecrackers exploding on the roof in the Fourth
don't dim enjoyment. Dennis Brain's golden tone and distinctive sound
make his horn solos a joy to hear. The engineering is better than we
might expect from 1952 concert recordings--solid, well-detailed
monophonic sound. This set is a must-have, and not just for Toscanini
idolaters.
Dan Davis
Among Toscanini devotees, the main focus of adoration is the body of
recordings he made for RCA-Victor between 1938 and 1954 with the NBC
Symphony. There are numerous other extant recordings, but those
Toscanini made with the orchestra he founded and led for 17 years have
the imprimatur of time and authority. But even among the devout, there
are certain crucial exceptions to this NBC Symphony bias. One such
exception is the set of Brahms orchestral works (all four symphonies
plus the "Tragic Overture" and the "Haydn Variations") Toscanini
recorded in London's Royal Festival Hall in 1959 with the Philharmonia
Orchestra.
Founded as EMI's studio orchestra by producer Walter Legge, the
Philharmonia was a supple and virtuosic ensemble with the ability to
adapt quickly to different conductors. With warm, clear strings as a
base and colorful winds and brass on top, the Philharmonia's ensemble
was perhaps not quite as sharp as the NBC's after 15 years under the
excitable Italian, but neither were the players as tightly wrapped as
the New York musicians. This in turn somewhat seemed to calm the always
irascible 85-year-old Maestro, and the resulting performances are among
the most comfortable he ever recorded. Because this is Toscanini,
"comfortable" here translates to "not as hyped up and over excited as
usual." Compared with virtually any other recording except Toscanini's
own with the NBC, the "Second" is propulsively, even relentlessly,
driven; the "Third" is hard edged and sharp cornered; and the "First"
and "Fourth" are aggressive to the point of belligerence - but all
slightly less so than usual. Newly remastered from Legge's own EMI
tapes, the sound here is wide, close, shallow, and filled to the brim
with audience noise.
All Music Guide
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