|
| Brahms: Symphony # 1; Bergrabnisgesang, Op. 13; Schicksalslied, Op. 54; Mendelssohn- Mitten wir in Leben sind Op. 23 | 
 enlarge
| Creators: John Eliot Gardiner, Orchestre Revolutionnaire Et Romantique, The Monteverdi Choir
Label: SDG
Category: Music
List Price: $19.98
Buy New: $16.36
You Save: $3.62 (18%)
New (11) Used (2) from $15.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  1 reviews
Sales Rank: 41154
Format: Single, Import
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.5
UPC: 843183070220
EAN: 0843183070220
ASIN: B001DCQJ4A
Release Date: October 14, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand new, scratch through upc, fast shipping! This item is BRAND NEW and factory fresh (sealed if applicable). This item is NOT returned or refurbished. May have store or price stickers affixed.
|
| Tracks:
| • | 1. Un poco sostenuto - Allegro | | • | 2. Andante sostenuto | | • | 3. Un poco allegretto e grazioso | | • | 4. Adagio - Più andante - Allegro non troppo, ma con brio |
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Following on from John Eliot Gardiner's critically acclaimed recordings of the symphonies of Beethoven and Schumann, SDG are proud to b e releasing the first disc in a new series exporing teh music of Johannes Brahms. Recorded live during last autumn's Brahms and his antecedents tour, and showcasing the four symphonies as well as Brahms' major choral works, this series is an important milestond for SDG heralding teh development of the label beyond the music of Johann Sebastian Bach and teh REnaissance choral repertoire which have so far dominated its catlogue. Brahms' large-scale music is brimful of vigour, drama and a driving passion - says John Eliot Gardiner in his introductory notes. One way to release these characteristis is, for the conductor, to set his symphonies in the context of his own superb and often neglected choral music, and that of the old masters he particularly cherishede and studied (Schutz and Bach especially) and of recen heroes of his (Mendelssoh, Schubert, and Schumann). This way, says Gardiner, we are able to gain a new perspective on his symphonic compositions, drawing attention to the intrinsic vocality at the heart of his writing for orchestra. Composing such substantial choral works as Schicksalslied, which also features on this release, gave Brahms invaluable experience of orchestral writing years before he brought his first symphony to fruition. Solemnity, pathos, terror and jubilation are all experienced and encapsulated before they come to a head in the finale of the first symphony.
|
| Customer Reviews:
A period Brahms First, for those who can take it, but the choral pairings are tremendous December 16, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is an exciting CD, even for a major non-fan of Gardiner's. It opens with a strikingly dramatic funeral march for chrous, winds, and timpani -- Begrabnigesang, Op. 13 -- that was the first effort of a brilliant 25-year-old to set chorus and orchestra together. I had never heard of it, much less heard it, but Brahms has discovered the same stern, uplifting Protestant tone that would characterize the German Requiem. Gardiner's exemplary Monteverdi Choir is asked to sing in period style without vibrato, which is irritating, but it suits the quasi-archaic monody.
This is followed by a spectacularly vivid account of Mendelssohn's 'Mitten wir in Leben sind,' here expressed with theatrical excitement rather than chruchy reverence. It was composed a capaella and gives the Monterverdi choristers a chance to display their perfect intonation and disciplined ensemble. Completing the generous choral portion of the CD is a more familiar work, "Schicksalslied" (Song of Destiny) Op. 54, a mature work that rarely makes an impression on me. But here, indulging in every trick of period style, Gardiner manages to inject more vitality than I would have expected -- the faux Baroque manner relieves the music of its Victorian piety.
Which leaves the main work, the First Sym., wich has received barely any period-style readings on CD, although there have been some small-scale ones (notably from Charles Mackerras and Daniel Harding) that employ orchestras the size of those in the smaller capitals of Europe in Brahms's day. Here Gardiner loses me -- the blunt, thwacking timpani, skimpy, zingy string sound, and blaring brass set my teeth on edge. The pacing seems rushed and brusque. Gardiner's fans love his music-making for exactly these qualities, however. I can't fault the Revolutionaire et Romantique forces for their ability, so we are spared painfully out-of-tune strings.
Would Brahms recognize any of this as authentic? Plenty of conductors and musicians who played in Brahms's lifetime went on to make early recordings, none of them remotely in the style esposued by Gardiner. Being full-blown Romantics, like the composer, they played in romantic style. Oh well, the choral works are so exciting that they are worth the price of admission on their own.
|
|
|
Discuss MP3 News & Downloads Blog | |
