Search - Brahms, Bernstein, Nyp :: Symphony 1

A memento of a great Brahmsian

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 11/26/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In its 24-bit remastering (the same one is used for both the Bernstein century and Royal Edition issues) this 1960 Brahms First sounds warm and expansive. Bernstein was a passionate Brahmsian, and he grew more so. By 1976, when he recorded the symphony again in Vienna, every measure throbbed with emotion and every phrase was clung to for dear life. That latter style has attracted much criticism, but I think it may prove to be greater even than this fine recording because we are so lacking in conductors with Bernstein's charisma.



There's charisma aplenty here, too. Bernstein conducts with the same commitment he brings to Mahler, and the NY Phil. plays its heart out, especially the first violin and horn, whose solos are inspiring. Tempos are all in the standard range, a minute faster than usual in every movement compared with Muti, Chailly, Jochum, and other traditionalists. If I leave aside Furtwangler, an incomparable Brahms interpreter, Bernstein ranks with Karajan as the outstanding Brahmsian of his generation, and that holds true for either the New York or Vienna cycle.



The filler here is the Serenade #2, recorded in less good sound at Avery Fisher Hall in 1966 (the symphony comes from Manhattan Center). Since it's scored without violins, this work can seem a bit melancholy and subdued. Rather than overcome that mood with his usual ebullience, Bernstein accentuates it--this is one of the more inward, quiet versions I've heard.

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