Composed by Franz Joseph Haydn
Performed by Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra Conducted by Bruno Walter
2. Symphony No. 86 in D major, H. 1/86
Composed by Franz Joseph Haydn
Performed by London Symphony Orchestra Conducted by Bruno Walter
3. Symphony No. 92 in G major ("Oxford"/"Letter Q"), H. 1/92
Composed by Franz Joseph Haydn
Performed by Paris Conservatory Orchestra Conducted by Bruno Walter
Conducts Haydn,Walter,Haydn,Grammofono 2000,Classical
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Furtwangler Conducts Brahms - Complete Symphonies, etc / North German RSO, Berlin PO
Manufacturer: Music & Arts Program ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B00002062I Release Date: 1999-11-16 |
Tracks:
- Symphony No. 1 In C, Op. 68: I Un poco sostenuto - Allegro
- Symphony No. 1 In C, Op. 68: II Andante sostenuto
- Symphony No. 1 In C, Op. 68: III Un poco allegretto y grazioso
- Symphony No. 1 In C, Op. 68: IV Adagio piu andante - Allegro non troppo ma con brio
- Symphony No. 1 In C, Op. 68: Adagio piu andante - Allegro non troppo ma con brio
Tracks:
- Symphony No. 2 In D, Op. 73: I Allegro non troppo
- Symphony No. 2 In D, Op. 73: II Adagio non troppo
- Symphony No. 2 In D, Op. 73: III Allegretto grazioso
- Symphony No. 2 In D, Op. 73: IV Allegro con spirito
- SYMPHONY NO. 3 IN F, OP. 90: I Allegro con brio
- SYMPHONY NO. 3 IN F, OP. 90: II Andante
- SYMPHONY NO. 3 IN F, OP. 90: III Poco allegretto
- SYMPHONY NO. 3 IN F, OP. 90: IV Allegro
Tracks:
- Symphony No. 4 In E, Op. 98: I Allegro non troppo
- Symphony No. 4 In E, Op. 98: II Andante moderato
- Symphony No. 4 In E, Op. 98: III Allegro giocoso
- Symphony No. 4 In E, Op. 98: IV Allegro energico e passionato
- Variations On A Theme By Haydn, Op. 56A: Haydn Variations
Tracks:
- Piano Concerto No. 2 In B Flat, Op. 83: I Allegro non troppo
- Piano Concerto No. 2 In B Flat, Op. 83: II Allegro appasionato
- Piano Concerto No. 2 In B Flat, Op. 83: III Andante
- Piano Concerto No. 2 In B Flat, Op. 83: IV Allegretto grazioso
- Variations On A Theme By Haydn, Op. 56A: Chorale St. Antoni: Andante
- Variations On A Theme By Haydn, Op. 56A: Var. I Poco piu animato
- Variations On A Theme By Haydn, Op. 56A: Var. II Piu vivace
- Variations On A Theme By Haydn, Op. 56A: Var. III Con moto
- Variations On A Theme By Haydn, Op. 56A: Var. IV Andante con moto
- Variations On A Theme By Haydn, Op. 56A: Var. V Vivace
- Variations On A Theme By Haydn, Op. 56A: Var. VI Vivace
- Variations On A Theme By Haydn, Op. 56A: Var. VII Grazioso
- Variations On A Theme By Haydn, Op. 56A: Var. VIII Presto non troppo
- Variations On A Theme By Haydn, Op. 56A: Finale. Andante
Amazon.com essential recording
What a bonanza: some of the most searching interpretations ever made of symphonic cornerstones, from a now bygone era of performance, here beautifully remastered by Music & Arts and packaged into a bargain set. Wilhelm Furtwängler's dynamic, always-evolving--and often unpredictable--visions of a classic score could overwhelm listeners with their paradoxical aura of the inevitable, wresting away the easy, dull comfort of familiarity. This is most dramatically the case with the conductor's performances of Beethoven. They still move and shake us free of lazy assumptions about this music with all the power of artistic truth. Furtwängler came relatively late to Brahms (like so many of the composer's most abiding admirers) but identified deeply with Brahms's dark strain of melancholy and self-consciousness. The Furtwängler trademarks are all here--palpable molding of tempos and dynamics to concentrate drama, oracular moments of insight, and an astonishingly compelling, organic sense of the whole.Perhaps the most viscerally thrilling account here is of the First Symphony, from 1951, which, as John Ardoin brilliantly describes it in The Furtwängler Record, has the "magnificent rawness of a Michelangelo." But, when you think you've reached an untoppable high at its conclusion, listen to the finale from Furtwängler's final wartime concert in Berlin, 1945 (the only extant movement on disc), included in this set. The symphonies presented here are a far cry from the stuffy, pedantic, anachronistic Brahms served up by so many lesser lights. Furtwängler grasps and conveys the subtly layered ambiguities in these scores, the blending--particularly in the Second's Adagio (1945) and the final measures of the Third (1943)--of deep shadow with serene sunlight. His Brahms Four from 1943 at times verges on the terrifying; ultimately it passes beyond tragedy into new wisdom as Furtwängler scoops, caresses, sculpts, and simply builds musical contours. The set also includes two interpretations of the Haydn Variations (1943 and 1951) and the legendary 1942 Second Piano Concerto featuring Edwin Fischer as soloist--a touchstone of musical partnership. There's a varying level of background hiss and distortion throughout the set, but in general this is an extraordinary CD transfer. And in Furtwängler's presence, any distracting artifacts of the recorded sound soon fade into insignificance. This is a must not only for listeners serious about Brahms but for anyone intrigued by the art of musical interpretation. --Thomas May
Customer Reviews:
Unsurpassably great.......2005-06-01
The best Brahms cycle I have heard so far.......2005-04-18
Furtwangler's best Brahms symphony recordings.......2005-03-02
"Brahms music is boring and his orchestration is too thick," is one of my least favorite of the countless cliches' about romantic era composers and their music. When I worked at a record store several years ago, I was playing a really good and exciting recording of a Mendelssohn symphony, and a lady came in and, after listening to it for a few minutes, she asked, "What is this? It's really good." "Mendelssohn's (I think it was the 3rd) Symphony," I responded. "Really?!" she said, surprised; "I thought Mendelssohn was boring." "That's because you've never heard any GOOD Mendelssohn," I said. She bought the CD. I am not a big Mendelssohn fan, but the point of this anecdote is that you frequently get the same kinds of opinions about Brahms, based on cliches' about his music that preclude people from giving it serious consideration: "Oh yeah, Brahms; thick and boring. Not my cup of tea." Then you hear some GOOD Brahms, and you are a fan for life.
I would not pretend that this is the only Brahms set you should have. The sound quality is variable, and Furtwangler's style is unique, but if you have any interest in Brahms' symphonies, and you have some more modern recordings that you like, then you really need to have this one; esp. since you can probably get an inexpensive copy on the Marketplace.
I have listened to many of Furtwangler's numerous Brahms recordings, and there is no question in my mind that M&A have assembled the best ones here. Part of the magic of Furtwangler's Brahms is that, despite the weight of the sound that he gets from these great orchestras, plenty of detail can be heard, and surprisingly little apology needs to be made for the sound, even though these recordings are from widely different sources.
Brahms recorded multiple good Brahms' Firsts, but this one from 1951 with Schmidt-Isserstedt's wonderful Hamburg orchestra is my favorite, and it has the best sound of any Furtwangler Brahms recording. The Tahra release of the First has slightly better sound than the M&A, but not enough to diminish the appeal of this set. The wartime Second might have the most thrilling account of the wonderful finale ever recorded. The Third, recorded in the last few months of Furtwangler's life is deeply ruminative, and is the most idiosyncratic of all of the readings here in that much of it is very slow, but it is easily the best of his Thirds, and I find it to be a uniquely satisfying reading. It has often been commented on the Brahms' music has an autumnal feel to it, and it seems to me that this is particularly explicit in the Third, with its luminous woodwind coloring, esp. the clarinet parts: the third was the last of the Brahms symphonies that I fell in love with-- courtesy of the Szell recording--and there is a palpable feeling of deep autumnal reflection in Furtwangler's reading, esp. in his achingly beautiful account of the third movement; and in the closing bars of the quiet coda, you can almost see the last autumn leaves slowly wafting down to the earth. The wartime Fourth is one of the most overtly tragic readings you will ever hear, with an amazing forward thrust to the finale; again, this is easily Furtwangler's best reading.
The fact that there are later Furtwangler Brahms recordings with somewhat better sound is not really a factor, such is the quality of the performances assembed in this M&A set. If you have this set you don't really need any other of Furtwangler Brahms symphony recordings. The EMI References set is good, but those performances are all runners-up to all of those in this set.
Simply Mandatory For Brahms Lovers.......2004-05-25
Sym. #1: This 1951 Hamburg with the North German Radio is, to my mind, the finest Brahms 1st on record. It is also on Tahra FURT 1054/7, but this M&A transfer is distinctly SUPERIOR: the Tahra has lots of extra hiss and a midrange that sounds rather hollow. However, you MUST have that Tahra set because it contains Furtwangler's majestic 1954 Lucerne Beethoven 9th in its best transfer. The only Furtwangler 1st to rival this Hamburg is the 1952 Berlin Phil. (deleted DG 415662-2). More mellow and less dramatic, it and this Hamburg are sonically just about the best of ALL Furtwangler recordings.
Sym. #2: The 1945 Vienna Phil. here is also available on 6-disc DG set 474030. They are close in sound quality, but I would give the edge to M&A. Incidentally, you must have the DG set for its 1944 Vienna Phil. Bruckner 8th in a finest-ever transfer. This Brahms 2nd is VERY dramatic, but the lesser 1948 with the London Phil. (Dutton) has grown on me of late - if it were the only Furtwangler available, most of us would be raving about it! My favorite Furtwangler Brahms 2nd remains the more reflective, less hectic 7 May 1952 Berlin Phil. account (mine is on an Electrola Da Capo LP).
Sym. #3: This 1954 Berlin is the best of 3 Thirds - it was also on DG 423572-2 (deleted) in sound that was the same as this M&A (the DG was coupled with my favorite Furtwangler account of the Schubert 8th from 1952). He isn't as persuasive in the 3rd, but the closing pages have a lovely autumnal, valedictory quality.
Sym. #4: This dynamic 4th from 1943 is his best, and this is its best-ever transfer.
2nd Piano Concerto: The 1942 live sound is congested (it's the only poor sound in this set). The transfer on DG 471294-2 is somewhat better, but both are pretty bad.
Haydn Variations: This 1951 Hamburg and the Berlin 1950 (DG) are my two favorites: both have excellent sound.
Brilliant as these are, there are accounts by other conductors that I also cherish. Some are foils that help to appreciate the greatness of Furtwangler's readings, and a few of them offer insights that are different and perhaps equally valid. In the 1st, Abendroth is stunning (his best: the live 1955 Berlin Radio on Tahra 145/146). If there were no Furtwangler Brahms 1st, this would be my favorite. I am also quite taken with the 1953 Schuricht/Suisse Romande on Archiphon 2.1 - its coupling is a Beethoven "Missa Solemnis" with Stader, Calveti, Haefliger & Rehfuss. Since Furtwangler never recorded the latter, you might want to try it this excellent Schuricht.
For the 2nd, my other favorites are Schuricht/VPO (London LP) and Fritz Busch (EMI). The Max Fiedler and Walter Damrosch 2nds (on different Biddulph CDs) are weirdly hypnotic - a trip back to the past. In the 3rd, I love Kna (Tahra), Schuricht (Greenhill), and Mengelberg (Naxos). For the 4th, three worth hearing are Abendroth (Arlecchino), Busch (Dante LYS), and Schuricht (Ades).
Edwin Fischer isn't my top choice in the 2nd Concerto, despite the lovely slow mvt. I prefer Curzon with Kna/VPO on a Decca LP. And for the Haydn Variations, I also like the pokey Kna/VPO (Decca) and the Schuricht (Ades).
But make no mistake: if my house were on fire and I could keep only one Brahms set, it would be this Furtwangler. If I could grab two, the old Weingartner (deleted EMI) would come along for contrast. As Fielding once observed, "what is a jewel without its foil?"
Anything but dull.......2003-10-02
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Leonard Bernstein Conducts Brahms (Collectors Edition)
Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B0001WGDXA Release Date: 2004-05-11 |
Customer Reviews:
Brahms Symphony No. 3.......2007-07-23
I'm buying it today. This is the Brahms interpretation I want my kids to grow up listening to.
Great Performances, Okay Sound, Great Selections!.......2006-07-28
The packaging of a cardboard box which holds the paper sleeves which house the 5 discs is also nice to behold. You also get a nice 16-page booklet with an essay on Brahms written by Bernstein himself.
I was amused to also discover that when it comes to Brahms' symphonies, it appears the 3rd movements are charms when it comes to "borrowing" the melodies for pop/rock tunes too. The progressive rock band, Yes, have openly used the 3rd movement of the 4th one as one of the tracks on their wildly successful album, "Fragile" while if you listen closely to the one from the 3rd Symphony, you'll realise that Santana totally ripped off the melody for the second track on his "Supernatural" album, "Love of My Life" with Dave Matthews. At least Yes had the decency to give the credit to Brahms when they did it though.
This box set though comes highly recommended.
Bernstein's Riveting Brahms Symphonies and more with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.......2005-09-09
The enthusiasm and admiration which the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra had for its favorite American conductor is present in this splendid Deutsche Grammophon collection which has been compiled recently from the original digital recordings made during live concerts held in the early 1980s. Among these are one of my favorite recordings of the Brahms 2nd Symphony, which is a lush, lovely reading of Brahms' most pastoral symphony, and a valid interpretation inspite of Bernstein's tendency for slower tempi. Similarly, the other three symphony recordings are splendid in their own right, with the brooding 1st Symphony a mesmerizing, exciting performance. I strongly recomend this CD collection as a fine example of Bernstein still conducting at the height of his artistic powers, demonstrating the excellent collaboration between the conductor and his favorite European orchestra. Without question, this remains one of the best Brahms symphony cycles available to discerning collectors and novices of classical music alike.
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Kurt Sanderling Conducts
Shostakovich , Prokofiev , Sanderling , and Berlin So Manufacturer: Harmonia Mundi ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD ASIN: B00006L3X3 Release Date: 2003-02-11 |
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Knappertsbusch Conducts Haydn, Mozart, Lortzing, Glinka, & Liszt
Manufacturer: Preiser Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD ASIN: B00000C3QT Release Date: 2006-10-24 |
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Leonard Bernstein Conducts Haydn (Collectors Edition)
Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B0001WGDWQ Release Date: 2004-05-11 |
Customer Reviews:
A wonderful bargain.......2004-06-27
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Arturo Toscanini Conducts Mozart, Brahms & Wagner
Manufacturer: RCA ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD ASIN: B000003EYB Release Date: 1992-06-09 |
Tracks:
- Sym No.35 in D, K.385 'Haffner': Allegro Con Spirito
- Sym No.35 in D, K.385 'Haffner': Andante
- Sym No.35 in D, K.385 'Haffner': Menuetto-Trio
- Sym No.35 in D, K.385 'Haffner': Finale: Presto
- A Midsummer Night's Dream, Op.21: Scherzo - John Amans
- A Midsummer Night's Dream, Op.21: Nocturne - Bruno Jaenicke
- Vars On A Theme By Haydn: Chorale St. Antoni: Andante
- Vars On A Theme By Haydn: Var I: Poco Piu Animato
- Vars On A Theme By Haydn: Var II: Piu Vivace
- Vars On A Theme By Haydn: Var III: Con Moto
- Vars On A Theme By Haydn: Var IV: Andante Con Moto
- Vars On A Theme By Haydn: Var V: Vivace
- Vars On A Theme By Haydn: Var VI: Vivace
- Vars On A Theme By Haydn: Var VII: Grazioso
- Vars On A Theme By Haydn: Var VIII: Presto Non Troppo
- Vars On A Theme By Haydn: Finale: Andante
- Siegfried Idyll
- The Sorcerer's Apprentice
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Stockhausen Conducts Haydn & Mozart
Manufacturer: Pilz ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD ASIN: B000009I0L Release Date: 1992-03-09 |
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Sergiu Celibidache conducts Berlin Philharmonic / Haydn Mendelssohn Debussy Hindemith Busoni (2 CD Box) (Nuova Era)
ProductGroup: Classical Binding: Audio CD ASIN: B000M696DY |
Product Description
Haydn: Sym No 104; Mendelssohn: Sym No 4; Debussy: Jeux; Hindemith: Piano Concerto; Busoni: Violin Concerto (Nuova Era 6348/9 1988) 2 CD box Digitally remastered.
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Lovro von Matacic conducts Haydn Symphony No 82; Beethoven Symphony No 2 (Denon)
Manufacturer: Denon ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD ASIN: B000ESIOYM |
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Sir Thomas Beecham Conducts Haydn
Manufacturer: Promo Sound ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD ASIN: B000ML54A8 |
Product Description
1-4. Symphony No. 93 in D major~~~5-8. Symphony No. 99 in E flat major~~~9-12. Symphony No. 104 in D major "London".Track Listings:
- Conducts Tchaikovsky & Borodin
- Dance Across the Sea
- Die Meistersinger
- Disc Drive Disc With Gothe
- Down Under: Music from Australia, New Zealand and Canada
- Edition 2
- Elgar: Enigma Variations/Military Marches (5)/The Crown of India
- Enescu: String Quartets Op.22
- First Recordings 3
- First Recordings 4
Track Listings
Complete Orchestral Works (Box Set) [Box set]
Daddy-O Daddy! Rare Family Songs of Woody Guthrie
Chosen Few: Lo Mejor Del Reggeatton [Import]
The Beginner's Bible: Songs for Young Children, Vol. 1