Composer: Johannes Brahms
Orchestra: Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra
Conductor: Andrew Manze
Number of Discs: 3
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: CPO
Catalogue: 7777202
Release: 2012
Size: 885 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: cover
CD 01
Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68
01. I. Un poco sostenuto – Allegro
02. II. Andante sostenuto
03. III. Un poco allegretto e grazioso
04. IV. Adagio – Piu andante – Allegro non troppo ma con brio
Variations on a theme by Haydn for orchestra, Op. 56a ‘St Anthony Variations’
05. Theme: Chorale St. Antoni: Andante
06. Variation 1: Andante con moto
07. Variation 2: Vivace
08. Variation 3: Con moto
09 .Variation 4: Andante
10 .Variation 5: Poco presto
11. Variation 6: Vivace
12. Variation 7: Grazioso
13. Variation 8: Poco presto
14. Finale: Andante
CD 02
Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 73
01. I. Allegro non troppo
02. II. Adagio non troppo – L’istesso tempo, ma grazioso
03. III. Allegretto grazioso (quasi andantino) – Presto ma non assai
04. IV. Allegro con spirito
05. Tragic Overture, Op. 81
06. Academic Festival Overture, Op. 80
CD 03
Symphony No. 3 in F major, Op. 90
01. I. Allegro con brio – Un poco sostenuto
02. II. Andante
03. III. Poco allegretto
04. IV. Allegro – Un poco sostenuto
Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98
05. I. Allegro non troppo
06. II. Andante moderato
07. III. Allegro giocoso – Poco meno presto
08. IV. Allegro energico e passionato – Piu allegro
During recent years Andrew Manze has become one of the most inspiring conductors of his generation. Since 2006 he has been the principle conductor of the Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra in Sweden, who celebrated their 100th birthday in February.
It is with this orchestra that Andrew Manze conducts a wonderful new interpretation of the Brahms Symphonies, recorded in SACD sound. Accompanying the complete Symphonies are the Haydn Variations, Tragic Overture and Academic Overture.
One might expect Andrew Manze’s interpretations of Johannes Brahms’ four symphonies to adhere to ideas of the movement for historically informed performance practice, due to his scholarship and dedication to authenticity in his early music performances. However, and somewhat paradoxically, he and the Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra have delivered more or less mainstream readings on modern instruments; there are no signs of late 19th century woodwind or brass timbres, and the strings play with standard vibrato. Yet Manze’s historical fact finding has gone to a deeper level than just replicating instrumentation or orchestral scale, and he has found numerous clues to Brahms’ intentions in the composer’s transcriptions of the symphonies for two pianos, which often vary with the published orchestral scores in accentuation, tempo indications, and phrasing. These are fine points that can be discerned with careful listening and great familiarity with many other recordings of the symphonies, both conventional and historic, but they may not be the main thing listeners will consider in appreciating this set. The playing and the recording quality are up to the extraordinarily high levels set by CPO in all its releases, and these resilient works sound as good as they ever did under any other conductor. Indeed, it’s difficult to tell where Manze has discovered much that’s novel, though the most obvious example would be the steadily brisk tempo he maintains throughout the Finale of the Symphony No. 1, not slowing down for the big theme as has become customary. With equally fine versions of the Haydn Variations, the Tragic Overture, and the Academic Festival Overture, this is a classic presentation that will please connoisseurs and casual listeners alike, without causing any controversy.