Scary
John F. Baker | New Hampshire | 12/25/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Jochum said this recording was the best thing he'd ever done, but obviously impressions vary. Maybe I had the advantage of limited expectations and a personal crisis the first time I heard it, but it literally made me shudder. The opening sequence, which others here have described as "ponderous," struck me with an almost religious clarity. I found it utterly convincing - a revelation, seemingly, of the true Brahms, which I had hitherto never grasped. I was never a big fan of Brahms before; his music seemed too dense, too murky. But this recording bring out an inner life in the music; a sleeping giant seems to awaken here. I listen to Brahms differently now.
I can name perhaps four or five recordings of similar power, including Furtwangler's version of Schubert's 9th with the Berlin orchestra, Beecham's version of Sheherazade with the Royal Phil., Bernsteins' version of Mahler's 5th with (I think) the New York Phil., and Haitink's version of the Shostakovich 5th with the Royal Concertgebouw. These are all desert island recordings in my opinion. Add now Jochum and Gilels' Brahms concertos.
I recommend this recording without reservation."
Playing is superb; the 2nd Concerto makes this a 'must buy'
foosayer | So Cal USA | 02/25/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I own the Curzon, Gilels, Katchen, and Kovacevich for the 1st Concerto. Katchen was my first and remains my one true love for this concerto, with Monteux providing the perfect backdrop. The Gilels falls to second place due to the slowness of the first two movements, which to my sensibilities detract from the artistic merit. The Katchen piano sound is bigger and the performance is closely mic'd, both of which add to my enjoyment. IMO, Curzon ruins the masterful Szell interpretation of this concerto with his incessant audible humming. Szell pulls off the perfect dramatic opening, so if you are more tolerant of humming pianists than I am, it is also worth owning. The Kovacevich is sweet and romantic, but the distant audience perspective of the recording, coupled with Sawallisch's over sweet interpretation (e.g. violin vibrato) place it fourth in this group in my esteem.
For the 2nd Concerto, I have additionally Gilels/Reiner, Katchen, and Peter Serkin performances. I recommend most highly this Gilels/Jochum performance from my small group. IMO, the 2nd Concerto is the main reason for owning this set, and it is one of the finest recordings I own. My first love for this concerto was Gilels/Reiner, but I now find that performance too brisk, dry, and analytic in conception, the sound quality does not compare well, and Gilels' phrasing is sometimes choppier than the fluid performance he gives with Jochum. I was prepared not to like Jochum, the great Brucknerian, handling my Brahms, but it seems Brahms is in very good hands here. Again tempi are on the slow side, but I never have the urge to get out and push. I like expansive readings of Brahms' orchestral works if the pacing seems well-conceived, as it does here. The Katchen and Serkin performances are fine, but in light of the quality of this performance, nothing else need be said. Get this one."
Track Listings (3) - Disc #1
