Originally posted by smittims
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BaL 5.10.24 - Brahms: Symphony 1
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Originally posted by oliver sudden View PostSimilarly fraught must have been his last wartime concert of all, Brahms 2 in Vienna, after which he fled into Switzerland to evade impending Gestapo arrest…
For context, the Red Army liberated Auschwitz the day before the Vienna concert and the Western Allies did not cross the Rhine until March 1945.
"The sound is the handwriting of the conductor" - Bernard Haitink
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For many years my "go to" LP versions of Brahms Symphonies were Kurt Sanderling/Dresden Staatskapelle (1972). I think my first CD version was via a 1991 DG Twofer on their 2CD Concert Classics series. It includes the Karl Böhm/BPO 1st Symphony from 1960, which I have just listened to again with great enjoyment for the first time for a while
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Yes, well, I wasn't there at the time, as Otto Klemperer said when Furtwangler asked him to verify that he (F) hadn't been a Nazi. The Admiralspalast (I've corrected my eariler post) concert was 23 January. According to John Ardoin (The Furtwangler record) ' It stands not only as the most exacting, extraordinary performance of a piece of symphonic music by Brahms, but one of the most thrilling orchestral recordings in existence.'
Well, if you're a Toscanini fan you can disagree with that; but for me, the most fascinating aspect of Furtwangler's interpretation is the middle section , from bar 220 (letter K in the Breitkopf score) to 300, including a massive rallentando at the end . He does this in all his recordings, though not always to the same effect. This, I think, is one of those moments that separates Furtwangler from other conductors; if you're in the mood, it can explain why some of us go on and on about this chap.
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Originally posted by smittims View PostYes, well, I wasn't there at the time, as Otto Klemperer said when Furtwangler asked him to verify that he (F) hadn't been a Nazi. The Admiralspalast (I've corrected my eariler post) concert was 23 January. According to John Ardoin (The Furtwangler record) ' It stands not only as the most exacting, extraordinary performance of a piece of symphonic music by Brahms, but one of the most thrilling orchestral recordings in existence.'"The sound is the handwriting of the conductor" - Bernard Haitink
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Originally posted by Pulcinella View Post
Ivan Hewitt's other recommended recordings were Norrington and Chailly.
There have also been past BaL programmes on the complete symphonies.
In February 1980, Richard Osborner recommended Boult for the complete symphonies and then a week later he did a programme on the symphonies on single disc: Furtwängler/Berlin + Lougharn/Hallé + Boult/LPO were his recommendations for the 1st.
Then in February 1991 Alan Sanders and Stephen Johnson recommended North German RSO/Wand for a complete set, with LPO/Boult as the recommendation for the 1st. Toscanini (complete) and Klemperer (1st) were also recommended).
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Originally posted by Eine Alpensinfonie View Post
On another subject - if you like HIPP, then JEG is the one to go for, as he uses natural horns. Norrington et al don’t.
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