Product Reviews
Perhaps more than other 19th century composers, Johannes Brahms felt intimidated by the imposing figure of Ludwig van Beethoven, and for two decades he found writing a symphony almost impossible in the shadow of such a titan. On the way to composing his Symphony No. 1, Brahms steadied himself for the task by working on several less ambitious orchestral pieces, most notably a symphonic movement in D minor, which was used later in the Piano Concerto No. 1, the Serenade No. 1 in D major, and the Variations on a Theme of Haydn (St. Antony Chorale); the latter two works are included on this hybrid SACD from Tudor. One may regard these pieces as precursors in technique, if not in material: while there are no themes or motives in common, the contrapuntal textures and rich orchestration of the Haydn Variations feel similar to the those of the First Symphony, while the Classically oriented serenade shows how Brahms came to work out problems of symphonic form in a more accommodating framework. This SACD by Robin Ticciati and the Bamberger Symphoniker presents these works, along with three of the Hungarian Dances as filler, in sumptuous sound and pleasantly resonant acoustics, and the performances are brilliantly matched to the capabilities of multichannel technology. Ticciati draws out the warm, vibrant colors that make the variations one of Brahms' best-loved works and shapes the serenade with the grace and humor one might expect of a Haydn divertimento. The Hungarian Dances No. 1, No. 3, and No. 10 are played with verve and seem like familiar encores that the orchestra has played many times. Tudor's presentation is admirable, and listeners who lack these pieces in their collections should give this excellent package a try. ~ Blair Sanderson, Rovi