Symphony no. 2

"But in a market that is full of great, even legendary, performances of Brahms' symphonies - many as sets of all four masterpieces - this pairing seems only average and not much of an enticement to purchase".

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"Herbert Blomstedt's new recording of the Brahms Second Symphony and Academic Festival Overture improves markedly on his prior Gewandhaus Orchestra version of Symphony No. 1. That previous release was frankly dull. While not perfect, this performance of the Second has plenty of the impetus and energy lacking in its predecessor-at least after the first movement. Here, unfortunately, for all the care Blomstedt takes with balances and with maintaining the long, singing line, we find the same softness of attack and diffuseness of rhythm as previously. In short, the whole thing sounds too "nice," especially in the development section's gnarly passages involving the trombones ... Others may not share my reservations regarding the first movement, but regardless, it's clear that Blomstedt is still a force to be reckoned with, even at such an advanced age".

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"The Gewandhaus Orchestra of Leipzig, of which Blomstedt is conductor laureate, has the Brahms Second in its bones and responds readily to what Blomstedt asks. The PentaTone label's live sound from the Gewandhaus is impressively clear. Age is nothing but a number".

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"Dausgaard und das Schwedische Kammerorchester könnten mit diesen drei Arrangements bei jedem Kur- oder Neujahrskonzert den Vogel abschiessen: Pfiffige Effekte, witzig, schmissig, köstlich akzentuiert - kurzum, ein kleines, knallbuntes Feuerwerk, das hoffentlich bei den nächsten Produktionen seine Fortsetzung erfährt".

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"This latest installment in Thomas Dausgaard's ongoing effort to downsize the romantic symphonic repertoire isn't as bad as some of his previous releases, but it's nothing special either ... Here and elsewhere, the smaller forces of the Swedish Chamber Orchestra mean that at pianissimo dynamic levels the thread of the musical argument disappears nearly entirely, along with its natural expressivity ... The playing is excellent, the engineering superb, but it's all in a lost cause".

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"Igen må den varme ende af hjerteskalaen i brug. Ikke bare spiller orkestret nemlig sprødt og klart, så Brahms finder frisk ind i øregangen. Der er også så meget styr på den musikalske linjeføring og samtidig så meget agt for traditionen, at jeg har svært ved at forestille mig den Brahmsfan, der ikke vil elske at få Gardiners version af Brahms' relativt lyse 2. symfoni i D-dur forærende".

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"Man kan nærmest kigge ind mellem noderne, når Paavo Järvi dirigerer Brahms' 2. Symfoni. Fortolkningen med det tyske mellemstørrelseorkester fra Bremen er intens og koncentreret ... Man tvinges til at lytte, og de to flotte strunke ouverturer - Tragisk ouverture og Akademisk festouverture - lover begge godt for fortsættelsen på denne første del af en ny komplet serie ... Men mere retning og mindre hyperfølsomhed ville ikke gøre noget".

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"Dem entspricht in diesen bemerkenswerten Brahms-Einspielungen ein Interpretationstendenz, welche die musikalisch-materiale Beschaffenheit der Werke mit bestechender Deutlichkeit nach aussen kehrt und erfahrbar macht ... Die Einspielungen der ... Haydn-Variationen lassen mit ihren sehr zügigen Tempi und der makellosen Spielkultur des SWR-Sinfonieorchesters hingegen keine Wünsche offen".

"Empfehlungen des Monats: Nun also Brahms ... Er belässt es nicht beim heiteren Naturidyll, jenem Deutungsmuster, das sich in vielen Aufführungen etabliert hat. Für ihn ist die Zweite ein kontroverses, kein moderates Werk, jedenfalls eins, das mehr als nur eine einzige Stimmungslage transportiert ... durch den hochverdichteten Zugriff Järvis und das fokussierte Spiel seiner Kammerphilharmonie deutlich hervortreten".

"Orchestral choice: Blomstedt takes a decidedly autumnal view of Brahms's Second Symphony - and he has every right to do so ... His lingering account of the first movement alone occupies well over 20 minutes ... With glowing playing throughout from the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra it's hard not to enjoy this affectionate and superbly recorded new version. The Academic Festival Overture ... makes an ideal companion piece".

"They play with a transparency that makes the inner lines sing but with a burgeoning weight and warmth that is always ready to be unleashed. Dausgaard is as ever a propulsive driving force, and he subtly brings out the unpredictable elements ... The orchestra doesn't always achieve an ideal crispness, and spirit sometimes wins out over precision, but the sense of exuberant momentum that Dausgaard and his orchestra generate together is always winning".