The Brahms Experience

[cloughie]

And unnecessary Bbm

OK ams - you have no other CDs other than a box of the four Brahms Syms in front of you - and just sufficient time to listen to one o. Which one will you play - For me it would have to be No2!

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

OK ams - you have no other CDs other than a box of the four Brahms Syms in front of you - and just sufficient time to listen to one o. Which one will you play - For me it would have to be No2!

My first question would be "Who's the conductor?"

[Nick Armstrong]

My first question would be "Who's the conductor?"

[teamsaint]

My first question would be "Who's the conductor?"

I'm sure this is a wise question,but possibly outside of Cloughie's parameters ?!

(Is "One o " a folk interpretation?)

[Roslynmuse]

I'm sure this is a wise question,but possibly outside of Cloughie's parameters ?!

(Is "One " a folk interpretation?)

It also depends who's going to "folk" it up...

[cloughie]

My first question would be "Who's the conductor?"

Who'd you want?

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Who'd you want?

Well - if it's the Loughran set, I'd go for the Second Symphony (the first Brahms LP I ever bought). If Walter's it'd be the Third (the first Brahms Symphony I got to know - borrowed from the Public Library). If Karajan's digital set, the First (bought at the RFH shop whilst waiting for the orchestra's instruments to arrive from France) if his '70s set, the Third (saw the video of the performance on BBC2 at around the time this was made), if the '60s set, then the First. Furtwangler, probably the Third as well - or possibly the First. If Maazel, then I'll just watch the sunset and try to imagine the score of the fourth in my mind's ear. Anybody else, and it would probably be the Fourth, because then I wouldn't be anxious about them omiting the Exposition repeats in the First Movements.

And I'd want to know why I'd "only have time" to hear one! What's going to happen? (And, if what I think is going to happen is going to happen, can I have Ferrier, Patzak, Walter and the VPO in Das Lied von der Erde, instead, please.

[DracoM]

Look, are we going to have bloomin' Tom Service huffing, and gushing, and stuttering and adlibbing all the way through this Brahms thing?

Strewth, he'#s being a hyperactive pain this evening fronting the Skampa concert.

[EdgeleyRob]

I love Brahms of course.
If push came to shove I'd take any of the chamber works over any of the symhonies or concertos any day of the week.

[antongould]

I love Brahms of course.
If push came to shove I'd take any of the chamber works over any of the symhonies or concertos any day of the week.

My views exactly ER and I also love the piano and choral pieces. We have so much to thank him for ....even for this excellent thread and possibly also IMVHO we should thank R3 for moving away from the 24/7 approach to a composer....

[LeMartinPecheur]

(Is "One o " a folk interpretation?)

Sorry, you'll need to wait for the rushes, oh!

[Richard Barrett]

Going back a bit - I guess my favourite of the symphonies would probably be the Second, which as it happens I listened to some of the other day (in Gardiner's recording, which I prefer to Norrington for what it's worth - did someone suggest upthread that I might not have heard these recordings? heaven forfend! mind you I remember preferring Mackerras to either) although unfortunately my patience ran out early in the second movement. Which leads me to the observation that almost all the Brahms I like consists of the first movements of multi-movement works. I wonder why that should be.

[kernelbogey]

Look, are we going to have bloomin' Tom Service huffing, and gushing, and stuttering and adlibbing all the way through this Brahms thing?

Strewth, he'#s being a hyperactive pain this evening fronting the Skampa concert.

I totally agree. His producer - or someone at Radio Three - ought to take him out to lunch and ask him to do a bit of work on his broadcasting technique.

My recommendations would be, if I were the host: (1) Write a large sign to yourself saying 'SLOW DOWN' and have it immediately in front of you througout the broadcast; (2) If you want to get the best from your interviewee ask one carefully prepared question at a time, then shut up until s/he's replied. (I.e.Don't ask three or four at a go because you haven't thought through what you're asking.) (3) Avoid any temptation to ask the audience, in the middle of a programme about Brahms, whether they agree that Dvorak's melodies 'belong to us',to get them to shout 'Yes'. it's not panto, it's a Bath audience live on Radio Three. 'Another glass of Chardonnay, Tom?'

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I totally agree. His producer - or someone at Radio Three - ought to take him out to lunch and ask him to do a bit of work on his broadcasting technique.

I think they already have - he didn't used to be like this

[kernelbogey]

Last night's TTN had a Marin Alsop performance of Ein Deutsches Requiem from the Proms ('11, I think), which I enjoyed) preceded by a cracking performance of Schuman 4. In haste, can't recheck details.