Concertgebouw/Chailly Brahms symphonies

[akiralx]

Has anyone heard these? I picked up this cycle on CD (a few years old now) and like it very much. Muscular performances very well played and recorded, as you would expect with the Concertgebouw. I wouldn't say any would be my top choice for a particular symphony but one of the best cycles I've heard.

He is far more fiery in his new Beethoven cycle which is very vividly recorded and has some pretty fast tempi.

[makropulos]

Has anyone heard these? I picked up this cycle on CD (a few years old now) and like it very much. Muscular performances very well played and recorded, as you would expect with the Concertgebouw. I wouldn't say any would be my top choice for a particular symphony but one of the best cycles I've heard.

He is far more fiery in his new Beethoven cycle which is very vividly recorded and has some pretty fast tempi.

I'd pretty much agree with what you say about them - they are very good but not particularly memorable.
But what's more interesting is the way Chailly has developed since then: I haven't yet heard the Beethoven set, but the two recent Mahler DVDs show him as a conductor of great stature and character - I really look forward to hearing each new broadcast and recordings from him and the Gewandhaus Orchestra, which certainly isn't something I thought I'd be saying fifteen or twenty years ago.

[Biffo]

Having collected the Mahler cycle as they were released and being impressed by them I bought the Chailly/Brahms symphonies. Unfortunately, I was very disappointed with them. I have been discussing this cycle on another forum an listened again to No 2 only last week. Still no joy, perhaps I am not on his wavelength for Brahms. His Beethoven cycle is available to listen to on Spotify. A mixed bag for me, OK in 6 & 7, an indifferent No 9 (judging by the 1st movement) and very disappointing in Nos 3 & 8.

[makropulos]

Having collected the Mahler cycle as they were released and being impressed by them I bought the Chailly/Brahms symphonies. Unfortunately, I was very disappointed with them. I have been discussing this cycle on another forum an listened again to No 2 only last week. Still no joy, perhaps I am not on his wavelength for Brahms. His Beethoven cycle is available to listen to on Spotify. A mixed bag for me, OK in 6 & 7, an indifferent No 9 (judging by the 1st movement) and very disappointing in Nos 3 & 8.

What is it about 3 and 8 that make them "very disappointing", Biffo? (I'll head over to spotify later if I get a chance).

[Biffo]

It is difficult to explain my disappointment with No 3; the first movement is suitably dynamic but seems lacking in drama, it just sounds a bit too easy. The Funeral March is too fast and lacking weight. My favourite versions are E Kleiber/VPO and Bernstein/NYPO but that doesn't mean I exclusively prefer the 'old school'; Gardiner with a very small orchestra manages to convey the power of the piece. No 8 is just too fast in the first movement; at the tempo taken even the highly virtuosic LG sound uncomfortable. To me it sounds like they are not quite completing every phrase.

The relatively plush sound of the orchestra doesn't worry me, they sound exceptionally beautiful at times. I would consider buying Nos 6 & 7. Chailly takes a fairly swift tempo for the first movement of No 6 as is common nowadays and which I greatly enjoyed. The second movement is faster than usual (or rather than what I am used to) but I noticed a curious effect. The tempo seems to slow down imperceptably as the movement progresses. I am not sure whether this was a real effect or my ears getting used to the faster tempo; in any case the coda with its simulated bird-calls is at a traditional speed.

[akiralx]

Yes, the Eroica is a slight disappointment for me also, very muscular but lacking body - Karajan in 1977 is at least as exciting but has far more profundity and weight where required, even with the fast tempi. The Pastoral is good with crisp tempi and a great storm - but the final hymn doesn't have the spirituality and sense of wonder that Klemperer and (especially) Kubelik bring to it. I probably prefer Ivan Fischer, though Chailly is persuasive in the first three movements.

I don't find the sound of the orchestra plush in the cycle, powerful certainly and often beautiful. Explosive sforzati abound and occasionally overpower the surrounding music, e.g. in the Eighth. Excellent recording throughout though.