Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Variations on a Theme of Haydn for orchestra in B flat major (St. Anthony Variations), Op. 56a: Thema: Chorale St. Antoni
2. Variations on a Theme of Haydn for orchestra in B flat major (St. Anthony Variations), Op. 56a: Variation I (Poco più animato)
3. Variations on a Theme of Haydn for orchestra in B flat major (St. Anthony Variations), Op. 56a: Variation II (Più vivace)
4. Variations on a Theme of Haydn for orchestra in B flat major (St. Anthony Variations), Op. 56a: Variation III (Con moto)
5. Variations on a Theme of Haydn for orchestra in B flat major (St. Anthony Variations), Op. 56a: Variation IV (Andante con moto)
6. Variations on a Theme of Haydn for orchestra in B flat major (St. Anthony Variations), Op. 56a: Variation V (Vivace)
7. Variations on a Theme of Haydn for orchestra in B flat major (St. Anthony Variations), Op. 56a: Variation VI (Vivace)
8. Variations on a Theme of Haydn for orchestra in B flat major (St. Anthony Variations), Op. 56a: Variation VII (Grazioso)
9. Variations on a Theme of Haydn for orchestra in B flat major (St. Anthony Variations), Op. 56a: Variation VIII (Presto non troppo)
10. Variations on a Theme of Haydn for orchestra in B flat major (St. Anthony Variations), Op. 56a: Finale (Andante)
11. Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68: I. Un poco sostenuto - Allegro
12. Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68: II. Andante sostenuto
13. Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68: III. Un poco allegretto e grazioso
14. Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68: IV. Adagio - Più andante - Allegro non troppo ma con brio

Disc 2:

1. Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 73: I. Allegro non troppo
2. Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 73: II. Adagio non troppo
3. Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 73: III. Allegretto grazioso (Quasi andantino) - Presto ma non assai
4. Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 73: IV. Allegro con spirito
5. Symphony No. 3 in F major, Op. 90: I. Allegro con brio
6. Symphony No. 3 in F major, Op. 90: II. Andante
7. Symphony No. 3 in F major, Op. 90: III. Poco allegretto
8. Symphony No. 3 in F major, Op. 90: IV. Allegro - Un poco sostenuto

Disc 3:

1. Academic Festival Overture, for orchestra in C minor ('Akademische Festouvertüre'), Op. 80
2. Tragic Overture, in D minor, Op. 81
3. Alto Rhapsody, for alto, male chorus & orchestra, Op. 53
4. Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98: I. Allegro non troppo
5. Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98: II. Andante moderato
6. Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98: III. Allegro giocoso - Poco meno presto
7. Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98: IV. Allegro energico e passionato - Più allegro

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #99609 in Music
• Released on: 2004-04-06
• Number of discs: 3
• Formats: Box set, Original recording remastered
• Dimensions: .44 pounds

Customer Reviews

The Best Brahms in Stereo
I remember when Stereo Review's "The Basic Repetoire" of 1960 reviewed some of these performances. They spoke of the "rare spiritual communion" of the First Symphony, the "rocklike grandeur and nobility" of the Third, and the "heroic conception" of the Fourth. I would add that the Third has a flowing, graceful lyricism that is only equalled by the legendary Mengelberg recording, that the Second is overbrming with joy and high spirits, that the Fourth is both grave and volatile, a very exciting combination of qualities, and that the First is probably the greatest I have ever heard, stunning in it's heroic stride. Likewise, can there be any Alto Rhapsody to equal this, with Christa Ludwig? And the Haydn Variations are very fleet and volatile, sharing honors with the likes of Weingartner, Furtwangler and Toscanini/NYPH. The remastering is amazing; it is beyond dispute that EMI was already making superbly natural-sounding stereo recordings back in the middle and late Fifties. For once, the CD's are sonically superior to the LP counterparts.

Karajan or Klemperer in Brahms?
Otto Klempeerer owes his late career in London and on EMI records to von Karajan. Since its founding in 1949, the Philharmonia Orch. was closely allied with Karajan, who built it up as his own career took off after the war. But when Furtwangler died in 1954 and his arch-rvial Karajan took over the Berlin Phil., the impressario of the Philharmonia, Walter Legge, knew that he neeeded a new stellar conductor or his orchestra would fail. He chose Klemperer, then almost forgotten and already past 65 when he made his initial appearances in London in 1951.

Legge's gamble paid off. Klemperer became the darling of London critics and audiences, and his performance style--measured, serious, with impeccable integrity--became the standard in Mozart, Beethoven, Wagner, and Brahms. He cared little for beauty of sound, smooth phrasing, or stylistic refinement. Words like "granitic" and "primordial" were used regularly.

Is he the antithesis of Karajan, who valued everything that Klemperer disdained? Listening to these Brahms symphony recordings in improved sound, I think the Klemperer vs. Karajan debate isn't all that valid. These four readings aren't granitic or primordial, nor are they particularly slow. In fact, the first movement of the Second moves lightly, as does the finale of the Fourth. If anything, Karajan's presentation is more massive and imposing in every symphony. The main difference begins with Klemperer's steady pace, which he tends to hold without allowing the phrase to be molded as flexibly as Karajan.

Karajan made three complete Brahms cycles for DG, the later ones in digital sound. He was undoubtedly a great Brahms conductor, but so was Klemperer. Here the Philharmonia sounds sharp and alert and not very big in number, while Karajan's Berlin forces sound sumptuous and huge.

These two giants had no peer in Brahms from the death of Toscanini to the present day, excepting Bernstein at his best and occasional recordings by Tennstedt, Giulini, Carlos Kleiber, and perhaps in today's market, Harnoncourt and Levine. Some would also place Bruno Walter's two Brahms cycles at this exalted level, but for me only the mono one with the NY Phil., now available on a Sony import, qualifies, and besides the inadequate sonics, the orchestra does not play as beautifully as what we hear in this set. It's great to have Klemperer's classic cycle, which is totally free of eccentricity, back in such good sound. Five stars without a doubt.

My deserted island pick
If I had to go to that deserted island, I would be in doubt of which of these 3 CDs to take with me. I have perhaps 500 classical CDs, but this box stands out. I am not going to write very much, however: Brahms is my favourite composer. Brahms was Klemperer's favourite composer. His conducting is perfect all the way. These are so-called slow interpretations, i.e. compared to Toscanini and Walter, but not slow compared to, say Abbado; I think these tempos are perfectly suited to bring out the richness of the texture. The result I will describe as civilized, human, warm, even hot, dramatic, strictly to the point, even sharp, although there are sharper interpretations out there, but they don't got the same lyrical intensity as Klemperer's.