A Long Time Coming

Rock solid performances of core Austro - Germanic repertoire by the Berliner Philharmoniker conducted by Herbert von Karajan. The main work is Brahms's Symphony No 1 and this is coupled with Schumann's Symphony No 1, the Spring symphony. There are numerous well known features about Brahms's first; the interminable gestation period of the work, the shadow of Beethoven and the closing movement theme's similarity to Beethoven's Choral Symphony etc. But for all that, once it finally appeared, it took its' place among the giant symphonies of the 19th century and ushered in a relatively short but impressive cycle of symphonies from the composer. It was a symphony that Karajan felt a close affinity with and was the work performed at his final concert performance in London when he was already seriously ill. Schumann's reputation as an orchestral composer languishes behing that of Brahms and the contrast in the two works here perhaps backs that up. But it remains a fine work in its' own right with plenty of freshness in the orchestration which belies Schumann's alleged weakness in this area. The sort of disk that the Berlin orchestra seems much less likely to make in the curent music industry climate but at least this coupling is available.