Search - J. Brahms :: Brahms for Dummies

What a concept !

Alejandra Vernon | Long Beach, California | 02/06/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Subtitled "Classics for the Rest of Us", the cover states: "Get to Know the Real Brahms and Have the Ultimate Listening Experience"...well, it's a bit of this, and a bit of that, which gets a little unsettling after a while, but it certainly covers quite a bit of ground in just over an hour. The performances range from good to excellent, and they must be commended for including the second movement from the Sextet in B flat Op. 18 (for those who saw Louis Malle's magnificent "The Lovers", this is the soundtrack). Yehudi Menuhin is among the instrumentalists in this excerpt, and it's wonderful.The booklet insert is funny as well as informative. You get a mini Brahms bio in sections, with cute titles like "She's my best friend's girl" (his love for Clara Schumann), and "What do you mean, it sounds like Beethoven ?". There's also a pronunciation guide, glossary and recommended recordings, just in case you like what you hear, and want more !Though it's definitely not an "Ultimate Listening Experience", I can see how this disc might have its uses, perhaps in the classroom...and young or old, whether you like classics or not, the incredible beauty of the andante from the Op. 18 Sextet is bound to be appreciated."