New Brahms Recordings

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Halle / James Loughran cycles ... has always been a particular favourite of mine.

- the set through which I learnt these works as a impecunious fourteen-year-old; it still delights me with its insights and creative adherence to the scores.

[amateur51]

- the set through which I learnt these works as a impecunious fourteen-year-old; it still delights me with its insights and creative adherence to the scores.

Wonderful stuff I agree fhg - I used to work in a record department where I would occasionally be contacted by a music trade magazine, asking for our Top Ten Classical Albums. I always insisted that we chose Classics for Pleasure albums only and Loughran's Brahms symphonies featured frequently - oh how the DGG/Decca reps hated me

I hope they get re-released sometime - happy days

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I used to work in a record department where I would occasionally be contacted by a music trade magazine, asking for our Top Ten Classical Albums. I always insisted that we chose Classics for Pleasure albums only and Loughrans' Brahms symphonies featured frequently - oh how the DGG/Decca reps hated me

- Ammie; I like your style!

[Alf-Prufrock]

Wonderful stuff I agree fhg - I used to work in a record department where I would occasionally be contacted by a music trade magazine, asking for our Top Ten Classical Albums. I always insisted that we chose Classics for Pleasure albums only and Loughran's Brahms symphonies featured frequently - oh how the DGG/Decca reps hated me :

Do you mean that you fiddled the results ?

[amateur51]

Do you mean that you fiddled the results ?

We were not set up for 'charts' I'm afraid so it was all highly subjective

[John Skelton]

I agree with others who've complimented Jayne on her review. I'm not sure. however, that it would tempt me to add Andrew Manze's recordings to my collection.

Adding my thanks to Jayne - it has tempted me to order Manze's set. My only excuse is that I don't have that many Brahms symphony recordings. However ... Berglund's COE set is by a considerable margin my favourite of those what I do have. Hmm .

[Barbirollians]

I must say I think the widespread praise for the Abbado set is well deserved . I only had the first 2 and have added the others recently and they are marvellously played and unerringly conducted. If I could only have one set I would say Furtwangler on EMI warts and all but this now is probably my favourite of other sets above even Boult, Barbirolli, Jochum EMI , Walter and Loughran.

[John Skelton]

Sorry! I promise not to do it again.

Here are a couple of contrasting reviews of the new Barry Douglas CD:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/h8pn

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2012...glas-cd-review

Never mind Andrew Clements. Just listened to the CD - if Barry Douglas wants to make recital discs of the solo piano music, that's fine by me. It's marvelous playing. He has an exact feel for tempo and a fine control (control has the wrong associations) of dynamics. The Handel Variations are wonderful: in uncovering detail, nuance, the wit and pathos and excitement of the invention.

[Panjandrum]

Here are a couple of contrasting reviews of the new Barry Douglas CD:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/h8pn

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2012...glas-cd-review

Clements seems to have an agenda all of his own, which often has little to do with an appreciation of the musical merits of the performance he is allegedly reviewing. As to the other review, it seems a lot more well balanced despite being a dismal read. Some truly appalling mixed metaphors which would shame a GCSE English class; for example, when was one's "meat" last "topped and tailed"? We also get the full range of critical cliches, from "gorgeous washes of sound", to the "multifarious strands of Brahms' dense, complex and contrapuntal writing". The only thing we didn't get was "autumnal Brahms".

[Barbirollians]

I do recommend the big Sony Rubinstein Brahms box. The Piano Concerto No 2 with Krips is not to my taste but the solo and chamber performances are wonderful especially the recordings with the Guarneri Quartet.

[BBMmk2]

Has anyone heard if the CoE Have done a Brahms cycle?

[Barbirollians]

With Berglund see above ?