Brahms Symphony N.4

Fans of Leonard Bernstein will not want to miss the chance to snap up this limited edition 60-CD set, Bernstein Symphony Edition. With a list price of just over two dollars per disc, it's a bargain not to be missed. What's most impressive about these recordings of well over 100 symphonies made between 1953 and 1976, almost all of which feature the New York Philharmonic, is the scope and depth of Bernstein's repertoire.

Johannes Brahms: Symphony No. 1 in C minor Op. 68; Variations on a Theme of Haydn in B flat major (St. Anthony Variations) Op. 56a – Wiener Philharmoniker; Istvan Kertesz, conductor
Classical | 1 CD | EAC Rip | 293 Mb | FLAC+LOG+Cue | No scans | RS links
Publisher: Decca

Editorial Reviews - Amazon.com essential recording
When Istvan Kertesz drowned while swimming in Israel, the world lost a major conductor of irresistible musicality and charm. The performance of the Haydn Variations is famous. The orchestra finished it without the conductor, as a tribute to him after his death. Kertesz was very much alive for the performances of the First and Second Symphonies, however, and his relaxed and genial interpretations really let this great orchestra shine. These are just as much "their" performances, as is the case with the Variations, and the fact that the conductor doesn't impose his personality on this great ensemble is something that would have bothered Kertesz not a bit. It's still great Brahms. –David Hurwitz

Composers develop their own voice and personality; singers develop their own vocal character and colour. This beautiful and unusual recital disc by Bill Barnewitz, principal horn of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, explores the voice of a special instrument and of a particular musician. Bill offers chamber works which feature the horn either as a solo personality or integrated into an ensemble. There are songs in which the horn is included, in its own right, as a partner to the voice. Bill also performs two of his own transcriptions in which the horn replaces the singer, taking on both the original voice part and the text. Throughout, Bill, like an operatic interpreter, assumes a variety of roles and uses the full expressive resources of his instrument to bring a variety of personalities to life.

All the great conductors on Deutsche Grammophon from the 1930s to the 2000s in one essential box set! A 40-CD original-jacket collection! Several recordings are new to CD, or have their first international CD release. Iconic recordings alongside rarer gems. 112-page booklet with new liner notes by Julian Haylock. The ideal cornerstone for any library of orchestral music.

Great Conductors of the 20th Century is a joint venture between the production and licensing expertise of IMG Artists and the international marketing and distribution clout of EMI. Sixty volumes were planned with hopes for even more. Unfortunately, though, perhaps reflecting our leaner climate for classical projects, the producers now advise that only forty will be issued.

Even as he is most closely associated with the music of Wagner and Beethoven, conductor Georg Solti enjoyed a long and fruitful relationship with the orchestral music of Johannes Brahms. Solti's own personal preferences in terms of Brahms, judging based on his performance history, were slanted toward the Haydn Variations, German Requiem, and the concerti, but in the late '70s he undertook a cycle of the symphonies with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for Decca London that some expert listeners feel have never been bettered since.