From the initial moments of the first CD in this elegantly boxed three-pack, the lush contours that Brahms so unerringly built his music on are in full furl. Also evident is the peculiar position Brahms held, reaching back... more » in time for contrapuntal delights and then integrating subtle, low-end dissonances that shine in the motets for four-part mixed choir. What amazes also is the spread, from the sheer massiveness of the multihued choirs on the motets and the masses (CD 1 is also available separately as Geistliche Chormusik). A listener hearing this density might conclude that engineer Marcus Creed is at his utmost when the sounds are sprawling the farthest, but the perfectly lovely "Drei Gesänge" zeroes in on telescoped voices at various pitches to open CD 2. Articulating long phrases that all seem hand-in-glove compared to the later works that appear on CD 1 of this set, the pieces lay great groundwork for the return to the larger, quicker works that round out the second volume here (which is also available on Lieder und Gesänge). The pieces on volume 3 (available separately as Zigeunerlieder--Quartette) range from the charmed vocal quartets with piano, which reach soaring heights that tower over the straightahead Romanticisms that surrounded Brahms, to the lilting "Gypsy Songs," captured in full here for the first time. These are the least reflective, midnight-somber pieces in the set, a perfect balance to the intense depth found in the larger works on CDs 1 and 2. --Andrew Bartlett« less
From the initial moments of the first CD in this elegantly boxed three-pack, the lush contours that Brahms so unerringly built his music on are in full furl. Also evident is the peculiar position Brahms held, reaching back in time for contrapuntal delights and then integrating subtle, low-end dissonances that shine in the motets for four-part mixed choir. What amazes also is the spread, from the sheer massiveness of the multihued choirs on the motets and the masses (CD 1 is also available separately as Geistliche Chormusik). A listener hearing this density might conclude that engineer Marcus Creed is at his utmost when the sounds are sprawling the farthest, but the perfectly lovely "Drei Gesänge" zeroes in on telescoped voices at various pitches to open CD 2. Articulating long phrases that all seem hand-in-glove compared to the later works that appear on CD 1 of this set, the pieces lay great groundwork for the return to the larger, quicker works that round out the second volume here (which is also available on Lieder und Gesänge). The pieces on volume 3 (available separately as Zigeunerlieder--Quartette) range from the charmed vocal quartets with piano, which reach soaring heights that tower over the straightahead Romanticisms that surrounded Brahms, to the lilting "Gypsy Songs," captured in full here for the first time. These are the least reflective, midnight-somber pieces in the set, a perfect balance to the intense depth found in the larger works on CDs 1 and 2. --Andrew Bartlett
Track Listings (13) - Disc #1
