Search - Brahms, Otter, Levine :: Symphony 3

One of the best No.3's - 4 1/2 stars

J. Grant | North Carolina, USA | 02/05/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The other reviewer's opinion aside, this is definately one of the very best Brahm's No. 3's you will find, although Furtwangler, Weingartner and Szell's are more my taste. In fact, the whole cycle is excellent (much better than his Chicago set), ranking right up there with Klemperer, Kertesz and Walter's great ones. For a change of pace, Furtwangler is also excellent if you like your Brahms with a little more Romantic approach. Then, of course, there is Weingartner's historic cycle. If you are fortunate enough to have acquired Levine's complete Brahm's cycle, consider yourself blessed indeed, for it was made in his prime, unlike some of his more recent, rather dismal recordings."

A disappointing Brhams Third, better Tragic Over.

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 10/17/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Because of the stellar talent involved, I can see rating this CD higher. For me, however, it typifies Levin'es star-crossed career as an orchestral conductor. As I am now rediscovering, he has made a number of excellent CDs outside the oepra house--many are gathered on a bargain 4-disc box from DG that samples the best of the many recordings he made for them.



But Levine didn't catch on with the public or with critics as an interpreter of Brahms, Beethove, Mozart, Schubert, and Mendelssohn. Without the German classics an orchestral career is hard to build. DG kept issuing one neutral, efficient reading after another. Levine is really best with Mahler and the twentieth century. This Brahms Thrid is a straight ahead reading with no special point of view; it quickly lapses into that efficiency I spoke about before. The Tragic Over. is more gripping, and the Alto Rhapsody is fine, albeit von Otter can't erase memories of Janet Baker or christa Ludwig in their classic EMI readings with Boult and Klemperer respectively.



I think I will keep on buying as many Levine orchestral recorings as I can find, however, because in recent years Levine has done such wonders with the Boston Sym. that thee must be many hidden gems in his past efforts. HIs totally neglected Munch years, which just ended, have produced some exceptional readings on the obscure Oehme label, for example. But this Brahms Thrid isn't to my liking."