Brahms
Brahms composed for symphony orchestra, chamber ensembles, piano, organ, and voice and chorus. A virtuoso pianist, he premiered many of his own works. He worked with some of the leading performers of his time, including the pianist Clara Schumann and the violinist Joseph Joachim (the three were close friends). Many of his works have become staples of the modern concert repertoire. An uncompromising perfectionist, Brahms destroyed some of his works and left others unpublished.
Brahms has been considered, by his contemporaries and by later writers, as both a traditionalist and an innovator. His music is firmly rooted in the structures and compositional techniques of the Classical masters. While many contemporaries found his music too academic, his contribution and craftsmanship have been admired by subsequent figures as diverse as Arnold Schoenberg and Edward Elgar. The diligent, highly constructed nature of Brahms's works was a starting point and an inspiration for a generation of composers. Embedded within his meticulous structures, however, are deeply romantic motifs.
Brahms
Recorded live in Amsterdam, 7th November 1940
Duration 65:50
Max Kloos, baritone
Amsterdam Toonkunst Choir
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Conducted by Willem Mengelberg
WAGNER Tannhäuser Overture - Lohengrin Prelude
BRAHMS Symphony No. 3 - Academic Festival Overture
GRIEG Two Elegiac Melodies
RAVEL Boléro
J STRAUSS II Perpetuum Mobile
music by Suppé, Bizet, Mahler, Tchaikovsky
Studio recordings, 1926-32
Total duration: 2hr 18:29
Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam
conducted by Willem Mengelberg
TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 4 in F minor
TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 5 in E minor
TCHAIKOVSKY Romeo and Juliet – Fantasy Overture
TCHAIKOVSKY Waltz from Serenade for Strings
J S BACH Suite No. 2 for Flutes and Strings
J C BACH Sinfonia in B flat
BEETHOVEN Leonore Overtures 1 & 3, Coriolan Overture et al
WEBER Der Freischütz, Euryanthe, Oberon - Overtures
LISZT Les Préludes
WAGNER Tannhäuser Overture - Lohengrin Prelude
BRAHMS Symphony No. 3 - Academic Festival Overture
GRIEG Two Elegiac Melodies
RAVEL Boléro
J STRAUSS II Perpetuum Mobile
music by Cheubini, Mendelssohn, Berlioz, Suppé, Bizet, Mahler, Tchaikovsky
Studio recordings, 1926-32
Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam
conducted by Willem Mengelberg
Save 5% when you purchase the complete set
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 1
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 8
BRAHMS Symphony No. 4
R. STRAUSS Don Juan
music by Vivaldi, Bach, Schubert & Debussy
Studio recordings, 1937-38
Total duration: 2hr 32:06
Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam
conducted by Willem Mengelberg
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 4
BRAHMS Symphony No. 2
TCHAIKOVSKY 1812 Overture
music by Valerius, Dopper, R. Mengelberg, Andriessen
Studio recordings, 1938-1940
Total duration: 2hr 4:49
Jo Vincent, soprano
Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam
conducted by Willem Mengelberg
PROKOFIEV Romeo & Juliet Suite No. 1
BRAHMS Tragic Overture
HINDEMITH Mathis der Maler Symphony
SCHUBERT Symphony No. 9, 'Great'
Live broadcast recordings, 1945 & 1960
Total duration: 2hr 00:20
The Philadelphia Orchestra
conducted by Pierre Monteux