Brahms: Symphonies Nos 1–4, Tragic Overture, Double Concerto & Serenade No. 2

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After struggling for years to come to terms with his fear of comparison to Beethoven, Brahms finally completed his First Symphony at the age of 43. It was hailed as a triumph and the remaining three symphonies followed relatively easily.

His Symphony No. 2 overflows with a relaxed, pastoral beauty, while the Third Symphony contains some of the most dramatic music Brahms was to compose. Finally, loaded with German Romanticism and including variations on a Bach cantata, Brahms’ final symphony is a remarkable example of his mastery of symphonic composition. A rich, warm work that builds on a sense of movement and intensity right up to the final bars. Along with the symphonies, this release also includes Brahms’ Double Concerto, Tragic Overture and Serenade No. 2.

Composer Brahms
Conductor Bernard Haitink
Performers London Symphony Orchestra
Soloists Gordan Nikolitch, Tim Hugh

Disc 1
Symphony No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 68
1. I. Un poco sostenuto - Allegro
2. II. Andante sostenuto
3. III. Un poco allegretto e grazioso
4. IV. Adagio - Allegro non troppo ma con brio
5. Tragic Overture in D Minor, Op. 81

Disc 2
Concerto for Violin and Cello in A Minor, Op. 102
1. I. Allegro
2. II. Andante
3. III. Vivace non troppo
Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 73
4. I. Allegro non troppo
5. II. Adagio non troppo
6. III. Allegretto grazioso
7. IV. Allegro con spirito

Disc 3
Serenade No. 2 in A Major, Op. 16
1. I. Allegro moderato
2. II. Scherzo. Vivace - Trio
3. III. Adagio non troppo
4. IV. Quasi menuetto - Trio
5. V. Rondo. Allegro
Symphony No. 3 in F Major, Op. 90
6. I. Allegro con brio
7. II. Andante
8. III. Poco allegretto
9. IV. Allegro - Un poco sostenuto

Disc 4
Symphony No. 4 in E Minor, Op. 98
1. I. Allegro non troppo
2. II. Andante moderato
3. III. Allegro giocoso
4. IV. Allegro energico e passionato

Release date 2 September 2022
LSO0570 | 0822231157069

Digital booklet in English / Notes de programme en français / Einführungstexte auf Deutsch

Producer James Mallinson
Engineers Classic Sound Ltd
Recorded May 2003, May & June 2004 in the Barbican Hall, London
Remastered 2022

FLAC - 24bit 96kHz - Compatible with Windows and Android devices
MP3 - 320kbps - Universal compatibility

Available on streaming services

Reviews

“

Under Haitink’s baton, these works create a single universe of sound, the musical architecture of an earlier age harboring the development of ideas stripped to their bare essentials, leading us on a path of power, tenderness and grandeur.

- Concerto Net
“

The Brahms played by this magnificent box set…is absolutely grandiose. There is all the genius of the composer there: an epic, rhythmic musical writing that Haitink never betrays.

- Hebdoscope
“

The quality that the LSO delivers along with the enjoyment that a live performance produces makes for an all-round first-class presentation and a superb introduction to Brahms.

- Yorkshire Times