MEDIUM Vinyl Record
WEIGHT 180gr (black vinyl) 33rpm
CONDITION sealed
COVER Standard
CONDITION COVER M mint
SERIALNUMBER No
LIMITED Yes
MISCELLANEOUS Stereo
COVER DAMAGES No, we take care about that
MUSICIAN HOMEPAGE --
Cleveland Orchestra
George Szell - conducting
JOHANNES BRAHMS (1833-1897)
Symphony No. 1 in C minor Op. 68
un poco sostenuto... allegro - 13:07
andante sostenuto - 9:24
un poco allegretto e grazioso - 4:41
finale, piu andante... allegro non troppo, ma con brio - 16:26
Contemporary critics tended to regard Brahms’s First Symphony as follow up to Beethoven’s nine symphonies, arising from its lofty, solemn expression, its melodramatic construction and occasional motivic similarities
Fully conscious of the tremendous symphonic heritage left by Beethoven, it took Brahms 14 years to complete his symphony and present it to the public
The desolate seriousness, the disconcerting asceticism in the short themes of the work, which »does not recommend itself on account of its charm« (Brahms), has tempted many an interpreter to tone the performance down emotionally or to enhance the drama
The maestro George Szell avoided such dangers by tackling the score dauntlessly
The agonizing minor-key introduction in 6/8 time surges steadily onwards, the tempi remain taut, whilst all the details of the jagged score are brought to the fore
In the final movement the noble 'Alphorn' theme strides forward, and is escalated by the syncopated strings that rush on with breathless furioso
The sheer number of recordings of this monumental work is an indication that the listener must work hard to discover all the fascinating aspects in each bar of Brahms’s composition
The present recording is well qualified for this undertaking
RECORDING 1957
ENGINEERING --
LABEL Epic
RE MASTERING --
RE RELEASED 2019
AVERAGE RATING 4 ½ Stars out of 5
PRESSING by Pallas
MADE IN Germany
STYLE Classic / Symphony
AVAILABLE as long as inventory
