Our Summer BAL 13: Brahms Symphony No 3

[Pabmusic]

For those who like historic recordings, there's this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOVSCbEm37k

I have it on a Biddulph CD, but the Amazon price for that is outrageous. I understand it's also on Preiser Records PR90258, but I can't find a cover to post. It's well worth tracking down a copy.

[BBMmk2]

Historical recordingts these days have improved by a large margin, with modern technology.

[Lordgeous]

Another vote for Cantelli from me - glorious playing.

[Barbirollians]

The Reiner a new charity shop purchase- like his Reader’s Digest Fourth it’s a thriller.

[cloughie]

The Reiner a new charity shop purchase- like his Reader’s Digest Fourth it’s a thriller.

Another Victrola that helped shape many a 60s’ collection.

[Lordgeous]

Yes Cantelli. Also his Brahms 1 - a classic.

[DoctorT]

I’ve been rereading this thread with interest: I never need much encouragement to read about or listen to Brahms. Have been listening to the award-winning Chailly and now the Rattle BPO version. When I first heard the Rattle I found it a little bland, although iirc it was enthused over by some such as smittims on told BBC boards. Listening to it again, I’m loving it, especially the sound.
Btw, on which streaming service is the Mackerras/SCO available? Seems to be unavailable as a hard copy

[RichardB]

Looking through the thread I see that nobody has ventured an opinion on JEG. I'm not going to either, but the other day I found myself listening to his Brahms 2nd and found it rather excellent - I'm very picky about Brahms as you have all heard from me ad nauseam, and I'm not really familiar with the third at all. What do people think about JEG's Brahms recordings?

[Barbirollians]

Looking through the thread I see that nobody has ventured an opinion on JEG. I'm not going to either, but the other day I found myself listening to his Brahms 2nd and found it rather excellent - I'm very picky about Brahms as you have all heard from me ad nauseam, and I'm not really familiar with the third at all. What do people think about JEG's Brahms recordings?

I don’t know his recordings of the symphonies but I have always had a soft spot for his Requiem recording.

[jayne lee wilson]

I don’t know his recordings of the symphonies but I have always had a soft spot for his Requiem recording.

Which of the two, Philips or SDG? They are 18 years apart, and first was one of the earliest recordings with the ORR.
Interpretively similar (though by no means identical) they are very distinct in sound, and this changes your whole response to the performance of this lovable work.

[jayne lee wilson]

Looking through the thread I see that nobody has ventured an opinion on JEG. I'm not going to either, but the other day I found myself listening to his Brahms 2nd and found it rather excellent - I'm very picky about Brahms as you have all heard from me ad nauseam, and I'm not really familiar with the third at all. What do people think about JEG's Brahms recordings?

I'll try to hear this 3rd later. Each time I return to this cycle I think "surely this time it will be right"....but end up with somewhat perplexingly mixed responses, rather hard to formulate! Certainly a beautifully presented set. Time for a revisit among all the Bartok.

I've travelled far through Chamber-Orchestral Brahms cycles. From Mackerras and Berglund (with the heavenly COE), on to Venzago and Dausgaard. I no longer really have a favourite among them.
Mackerras is fierier, Venzago very singing and lyrical (but then takes off startlingly in the finale). So many intriguing interpretive points in the 3rd: eg, do you play (ii) and (iii) like a pair of slow movements, or emphasise contrasts? And the 1st-movement repeat, given the flowingly elaborate multi-themed exposition, is really essential.
Then the finale is one of those uniquely Brahmsian innovative structures; it never stops moving. I'm still trying to figure it out...

But Norrington is very good in the 3rd, twice now with the LCP and the SWR. And the Helsingborg SO/Manze is another exceptionally good, strikingly distinctive 3rd (I nearly always play the 3rd first in any cycle) even more appealing given the excellent CPO SACD sound. For full orchestra in 3 & 4, Manze is usually first off the shelf. But I still haven't got around to a proper listen to Ticciati, the natural successor to Mackerras with the same orchestra.

[RichardB]

Which of the two, Philips or SDG?

I mean the SDG one, I didn't know the other one existed!

[jayne lee wilson]

I mean the SDG one, I didn't know the other one existed!

One of that remarkable series of 1980s/90s choral-epic tapings (on DG Archiv mainly) including the Bach B Minor Mass, Beethoven Mass in C, and the Missa Solemnis (also a 2nd recording more recently on SDG). DG put them all into a vast boxset recently.

A shame JEG hasn't returned to the Symphonies on SDG (yet...) as the later live Beethoven, Schubert and - the Brahms 2nd Serenade (gorgeously done, perfectly c/w Schubert 5) are really wonderfu.

[RichardB]

One of that remarkable series of 1980s/90s choral-epic tapings

Ignore me, I have the Requiem recording on DG, I thought you were referring to the Brahms Symphonies, which are on SDG and which I guess I'm right that he hadn't recorded previously.

[jayne lee wilson]

Ignore me, I have the Requiem recording on DG, I thought you were referring to the Brahms Symphonies, which are on SDG and which I guess I'm right that he hadn't recorded previously.

Kein Problem!

Many thanks for mentioning the JEG Symphonies Richard. I was truly spellbound by the 3rd tonight - via Qobuz 24/48, interpretively fascinating and a very exciting reading. Hope to listen again later, if I've anything more to say I might say it......

So, first impressions......
The textures are hard-edged but not excessively so; with those ORR winds & brasses, the initial motif thrillingly open & declamatory. Rhythms very sharp and clear, with great sonata-momentum. But the melodic wind/string lines in the exposition and the inner movements can sing, very movingly so, and wait; do I detect portamenti? Sparing but telling. Subtly flexible reading in its pacing. Sonically - forthright.

I recall RO in the G. saying (not in the review of the 3rd itself - so I may paraphrase) that JEG "sets a new land-speed record for the finale".....

It's hard to disagree with that, at 7'46. This finale is fast. And very fiery!
But how precise-yet-evocative those final impressionistic string flutterings are; you can hear everything, but it never seems over-analytical; quite the reverse. So a wonderful coda too.