John Eliot Gardiner, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra: Johannes Brahms: Complete Symphonies CD

“The Brahms project with the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique in 2007 was a thrilling undertaking — a thorough reappraisal of Brahms’s sound world, both in terms of period instruments and a study of the surviving evidence of performance practice. So why then a second recording 18 years later? First, because these symphonies are evergreen – miracles at the time of their inception and super-challenging every time one encounters them. Second, because I sensed a need and a personal challenge to build on that seminal earlier experience and to extend its findings and interpretations to/in working with a modern instrument orchestra – especially such a distinguished, flexible and immensely accomplished one as the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra – in search of a fresh synthesis of styles and approaches. ‘Fuego y cristal’, as Jorge Luis Borges described them. That’s what we’ve been aiming at.” — John Eliot Gardiner

Tracklist:

CD 1

Symphony No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 68

I. Un poco sostenuto – Allegro
II. Andante sostenuto
III. Un poco allegretto e grazioso
IV. Adagio – Più andante – Allegro non troppo, ma con brio – Più allegro

CD 2

Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 73

I. Allegro non troppo
II. Adagio non troppo
III. Allegretto grazioso
IV. Allegro con spirito

CD 3

Symphony No. 3 in F Major, Op. 90

I. Allegro con brio
II. Andante
III. Poco allegretto
IV. Allegro

Symphony No. 4 in E Minor, Op. 98

I. Allegro non troppo
II. Andante moderato
III. Allegro giocoso
IV. Allegro energico e passionate