Walter had tremendous emotional depth and keen insight on the overall architecture of Brahms' symphonies. I especially love his 4th with the Coloumbia Sym. -- absolutely brilliant and moving.
When I started collecting classical records c. 1970, Bruno Walter's Columbia Sym. disks formed the heart of my collection. I knew any work with his name on the cover was in good hands.
The Columbia Symphony recording of Brahms Second with Walter always brings a smile to my face whenever I listen to it, or even when someone mentions it, even in passing. Thanks Dave for putting that smile yet again on my face.
In addition to the two Columbia recordings of Brahms' 2nd that Walter made, you can now get a live broadcast he made with the NBC Symphony in 1940, issued by Pristine Audio. The sound is quite good mono--probably comparable to the mono NY Philharmonic recording--and the performance is absolutely terrific. Walter goes like a bat out of hell in the last movement, and in the NBC Symphony he had an orchestra that could execute cleanly even at top speed. It's not a reference, of course, (it wasn't even available until a couple of years ago) but it is my personal favorite.
Thanks for coming up with an intriguing choice yet again. My guess would have been the Columbia Symphony Orchestra recording. I grew up with the Karel Ancerl/Czech Phil recording and recommend that to Brahmsians who arent familiar with it. Lovely `light' strings and plenty of fire in the finale.
Brahms 3rd is my favorite. This was quite good about how reference recordings develop. Your point that Walter "got" the second because of nature ("genial") says a lot about how reference can develop.
I once met with a very famous conductor, where we discussed (among other works) Mozart's Don Giovanni. I mentioned my great admiration for Colin Davis' 1973 recording (Wixell), which I felt represented a perfect balance of Mozartean qualities. "Oh yeah?", said the maestro, "get a load of THIS", and he put on a tape of a live Met performance of Don G. (1948, I think with Eleanor Steber as Donna Anna), conducted by Bruno Walter. I figured it would be typical Walter "gemutlichkeit", but it was INSANE!! We listened to the big ensemble at the very end of Act 1, which I barely recognized; totally explosive and BERSERK (complete with added thunder effects in the theater). I didn't know quite how to say it, but I felt that it was as distinctly UN-Mozartean as I could have imagined. But exciting? Wow. Also, I should add that the Finale of Walter's 1959 Beethoven 7th with the Columbia Symphony is amazing in its thrilling, gut-level intensity. You can really tell that these musicians, most of whom did session and film work for a living, realized this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to record Beethoven with Maestro Walter at the helm. LR
And your reaction put a smile on my face too. You know, Gemütlichheit is much more about geniality and friendliness than anything else. I guess that one does crazy things with Mozart because the actual music lends itself to it
Bruno Walters version of Beethoven's 4th is a must hear. So much zest in that performance. In fact it was my first experience listening to Beethoven's music. On vinyl no less. I also would like to make a suggestion for a reference recording: Mitropoulus and the NY Phil. doing Tchaikovsky's Orchestral Suite #1. It was on Columbia and paired with Borodin's 2nd Symphony. The Tchaikovsky Orchestral Suites are hardly ever performed there days. What's interesting about this recording, is that a movement was omitted, so the piece could fit on one side of the record.
Not surprised. Bruno Walter was one of those who proved that a great conductor can be someone the musicians really like. (However irrelevant that may be.)
It makes you think when you consider the referential legacy left to us by Walter, Klemperer, Monteux, Jochum, and that whole generation of conductors. They made some wonderful recordings!
I imprinted on this symphony in a radio broadcast I heard and recorded on cassette in 1976. It was the Boston Symphony at Tanglewood conducted by Kazuyoshi Akiyama -- on August 28th, 1976, as it turns out (thank you, Boston Symphony, for keeping such precise records!) I somehow lost the first two movements (erased to make way for Yehudi Menuhin doing the Beethoven Violin Concerto with the Winnipeg Symphony, I think), and ever since I've been searching in vain for a recorded performance that measures up. So today, along comes Walter and his mono recording with the NYPO, and it's plain to me that this was the performance Akiyama cribbed (let's be kind; say he was most influenced by) for his BSO performance; one or two minor details apart, Akiyama's is a carbon copy. (Spoiler alert: you can actually hear the brass in the finale!) Thanks for steering us towards this triple-A performance!
A Brahms cycle that seems to have been almost forgotten is that by Ansermet/OSR made in the early 60’s. I got to know the 3rd and 4th via these recordings and over the years many critics were very impressed by his no nonsense approach. Not familiar with Walter’s performance but it’s a given that it will be superb. Another great 2nd is the Kertesz/VPO 60’s recording.
I think that passage of brass dissonance in the first mvt of the 2nd comes across more fiercely and significantly on the Ansermet than on any other recording I've heard of that period. He understood that the pastoral element is frequently under threat in this symphony.
The Kertesz recording is full- blooded as is the Walter, and was notable at the time for observing the first movement exposition repeat, quite unusual at that time.🎉
As one might as an youngster, trying to appreciate fine art, find Frans Hals so terribly cheerful one might rediscover the true artist called Bruno Walter later on in life too. Once past the Anschluss one can even again associate Wiener Gemütlichkeit with him. I guess that indeed only the conductor who befriended both Pope Pius XII and Thomas Mann could conduct Brahms own Pastoral Symphony as a reference performance
Walter's Brahms is simply the best, in all four symphonies. Nobody like him (not even Klemperer and certainly not Furtwängler) captures the structure of the music without diminishing the emotional impact. And more so in the Columbia recordings than in the New York ones.
I always find myself going back to Jochum's mono cycle which makes me love it anew every time, but I know the concept you're illustrating with this great series is not about preference and individual taste. His cycle was not so well-regarded as it should when it came out, right? I'm very curious about that new reference recording of the cycle. I've found Levine's DG interesting, as well as one I bet is the new reference: Abbado maybe? Cheers!
Yeah! I guessed one right! We should all be very, very grateful to management team at what was then Columbia records for the dedication and foresight they had in making so many recordings with Walter in his later years. Listening to them is like a master class in style. Too bad there weren't videos in that day. BTW - for 40 years I've kinda assumed the C Kleiber Brahms 4th was the Gold Standard.
I find it difficult to go through mono recordings, but the exception is exactly this mono recording of Brahm's second symphony, it is just absolutely fantastic. Besides, the Columbia recording in the last movement has a duration of 9:37 min vs 8:16 in the New York, and for me that's a critical factor. That's why, as far as stereo recordings are concerned, I prefer several other recordings over the Columbia one with Walter, I just can't stand the fourth movement lasting over 9 min and that has ruled out Abbado's, Bernstein's or Klemperer's for me. Wonderful recording this one indeed.
Can you please do a video about your audio system? I'd love to learn about what components you have, why you chose them, and how they evolved over time.
A little surprised the Klemperer didn't make the reference recording - certainly, as far as the British press was concerned, it was the one against which others were measured. It is superb, no?
(1) Superbitude is only one part of the equation. (2) It was never the reference recording, even in Britain. (3) There is a universe outside of the English press, much as they like to pretend it were not so.
That only applied to 78's with their short sides. In that case, it may have been necessary to speed up a bit to fit all of the music on a 4 minute side. But by the early 1940's, Columbia records was recording orchestra sessions to 16 inch transcription disks (15 minutes per side) and dubbing the 78's they issued from the 16 inch masters. And by the time Bruno Walter was recording with the NY Philharmonic, tape was being used. There were still time considerations (fitting stuff onto 25 minute LP sides), but they were less likely to influence the tempo of the performance.
Walter had tremendous emotional depth and keen insight on the overall architecture of Brahms' symphonies. I especially love his 4th with the Coloumbia Sym. -- absolutely brilliant and moving.
When I started collecting classical records c. 1970, Bruno Walter's Columbia Sym. disks formed the heart of my collection. I knew any work with his name on the cover was in good hands.
The Columbia Symphony recording of Brahms Second with Walter always brings a smile to my face whenever I listen to it, or even when someone mentions it, even in passing. Thanks Dave for putting that smile yet again on my face.
In addition to the two Columbia recordings of Brahms' 2nd that Walter made, you can now get a live broadcast he made with the NBC Symphony in 1940, issued by Pristine Audio. The sound is quite good mono--probably comparable to the mono NY Philharmonic recording--and the performance is absolutely terrific. Walter goes like a bat out of hell in the last movement, and in the NBC Symphony he had an orchestra that could execute cleanly even at top speed. It's not a reference, of course, (it wasn't even available until a couple of years ago) but it is my personal favorite.
Good selection, dear David. Bruno Walter... the poet of conductors on the podium, as Bernstein said. 👏🔥
Thanks for coming up with an intriguing choice yet again. My guess would have been the Columbia Symphony Orchestra recording. I grew up with the Karel Ancerl/Czech Phil recording and recommend that to Brahmsians who arent familiar with it. Lovely `light' strings and plenty of fire in the finale.
I always recommend Bruno's recording to people who are just getting started with this symphony.
Brahms 3rd is my favorite. This was quite good about how reference recordings develop. Your point that Walter "got" the second because of nature ("genial") says a lot about how reference can develop.
I once met with a very famous conductor, where we discussed (among other works) Mozart's Don Giovanni. I mentioned my great admiration for Colin Davis' 1973 recording (Wixell), which I felt represented a perfect balance of Mozartean qualities. "Oh yeah?", said the maestro, "get a load of THIS", and he put on a tape of a live Met performance of Don G. (1948, I think with Eleanor Steber as Donna Anna), conducted by Bruno Walter. I figured it would be typical Walter "gemutlichkeit", but it was INSANE!! We listened to the big ensemble at the very end of Act 1, which I barely recognized; totally explosive and BERSERK (complete with added thunder effects in the theater). I didn't know quite how to say it, but I felt that it was as distinctly UN-Mozartean as I could have imagined. But exciting? Wow. Also, I should add that the Finale of Walter's 1959 Beethoven 7th with the Columbia Symphony is amazing in its thrilling, gut-level intensity. You can really tell that these musicians, most of whom did session and film work for a living, realized this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to record Beethoven with Maestro Walter at the helm. LR
And your reaction put a smile on my face too. You know, Gemütlichheit is much more about geniality and friendliness than anything else. I guess that one does crazy things with Mozart because the actual music lends itself to it
The Vancouver Festival Orchestra film of Walter rehearsing the 2nd is pretty impressive. Shows how good he was in the work.
Bruno Walters version of Beethoven's 4th is a must hear. So much zest in that performance. In fact it was my first experience listening to Beethoven's music. On vinyl no less. I also would like to make a suggestion for a reference recording: Mitropoulus and the NY Phil. doing Tchaikovsky's Orchestral Suite #1. It was on Columbia and paired with Borodin's 2nd Symphony. The Tchaikovsky Orchestral Suites are hardly ever performed there days. What's interesting about this recording, is that a movement was omitted, so the piece could fit on one side of the record.
Not surprised. Bruno Walter was one of those who proved that a great conductor can be someone the musicians really like. (However irrelevant that may be.)
It makes you think when you consider the referential legacy left to us by Walter, Klemperer, Monteux, Jochum, and that whole generation of conductors. They made some wonderful recordings!
I imprinted on this symphony in a radio broadcast I heard and recorded on cassette in 1976.
It was the Boston Symphony at Tanglewood conducted by Kazuyoshi Akiyama -- on August 28th, 1976, as it turns out (thank you, Boston Symphony, for keeping such precise records!)
I somehow lost the first two movements (erased to make way for Yehudi Menuhin doing the Beethoven Violin Concerto with the Winnipeg Symphony, I think), and ever since I've been searching in vain for a recorded performance that measures up.
So today, along comes Walter and his mono recording with the NYPO, and it's plain to me that this was the performance Akiyama cribbed (let's be kind; say he was most influenced by) for his BSO performance; one or two minor details apart, Akiyama's is a carbon copy. (Spoiler alert: you can actually hear the brass in the finale!)
Thanks for steering us towards this triple-A performance!
A Brahms cycle that seems to have been almost forgotten is that by Ansermet/OSR made in the early 60’s. I got to know the 3rd and 4th via these recordings and over the years many critics were very impressed by his no nonsense approach. Not familiar with Walter’s performance but it’s a given that it will be superb. Another great 2nd is the Kertesz/VPO 60’s recording.
I think that passage of brass dissonance in the first mvt of the 2nd comes across more fiercely and significantly on the Ansermet than on any other recording I've heard of that period. He understood that the pastoral element is frequently under threat in this symphony.
The Kertesz recording is full- blooded as is the Walter, and was notable at the time for observing the first movement exposition repeat, quite unusual at that time.🎉
As one might as an youngster, trying to appreciate fine art, find Frans Hals so terribly cheerful one might rediscover the true artist called Bruno Walter later on in life too. Once past the Anschluss one can even again associate Wiener Gemütlichkeit with him. I guess that indeed only the conductor who befriended both Pope Pius XII and Thomas Mann could conduct Brahms own Pastoral Symphony as a reference performance
Walter's Brahms is simply the best, in all four symphonies. Nobody like him (not even Klemperer and certainly not Furtwängler) captures the structure of the music without diminishing the emotional impact. And more so in the Columbia recordings than in the New York ones.
I always find myself going back to Jochum's mono cycle which makes me love it anew every time, but I know the concept you're illustrating with this great series is not about preference and individual taste. His cycle was not so well-regarded as it should when it came out, right? I'm very curious about that new reference recording of the cycle. I've found Levine's DG interesting, as well as one I bet is the new reference: Abbado maybe? Cheers!
Yeah! I guessed one right! We should all be very, very grateful to management team at what was then Columbia records for the dedication and foresight they had in making so many recordings with Walter in his later years. Listening to them is like a master class in style. Too bad there weren't videos in that day. BTW - for 40 years I've kinda assumed the C Kleiber Brahms 4th was the Gold Standard.
Never. It got mixed reviews on initial release.
@@DavesClassicalGuide I've never thought it was anything special. It disappointed me.
I find it difficult to go through mono recordings, but the exception is exactly this mono recording of Brahm's second symphony, it is just absolutely fantastic. Besides, the Columbia recording in the last movement has a duration of 9:37 min vs 8:16 in the New York, and for me that's a critical factor. That's why, as far as stereo recordings are concerned, I prefer several other recordings over the Columbia one with Walter, I just can't stand the fourth movement lasting over 9 min and that has ruled out Abbado's, Bernstein's or Klemperer's for me. Wonderful recording this one indeed.
Can you please do a video about your audio system? I'd love to learn about what components you have, why you chose them, and how they evolved over time.
I will not discuss audio systems. Sorry. That's for some other channel.
Ok, I respect that. @@DavesClassicalGuide
I've disagreed with some of Dave's picks but I am so onboard with this. The finale of the mono Brahms 2 just zips like nothing else I've ever heard
I'm a bit surprised that Beecham didn't make the reference recording title. But, I really can't argue against Walter.
While you've got Brahms 2 on your brain, maybe time for the repertoire chat?
Give it a few years...why hurry?
A little surprised the Klemperer didn't make the reference recording - certainly, as far as the British press was concerned, it was the one against which others were measured. It is superb, no?
(1) Superbitude is only one part of the equation.
(2) It was never the reference recording, even in Britain.
(3) There is a universe outside of the English press, much as they like to pretend it were not so.
@@DavesClassicalGuide Hear, hear. It's called non-brexit land
Um no, Klemperer was never the reference for Brahms 2 here in the UK.
@@DavesClassicalGuide Amen! to statement #3. :)
How much do you believe the early recording technology impacted the tempi conductors used for some recordings?
That only applied to 78's with their short sides. In that case, it may have been necessary to speed up a bit to fit all of the music on a 4 minute side. But by the early 1940's, Columbia records was recording orchestra sessions to 16 inch transcription disks (15 minutes per side) and dubbing the 78's they issued from the 16 inch masters. And by the time Bruno Walter was recording with the NY Philharmonic, tape was being used. There were still time considerations (fitting stuff onto 25 minute LP sides), but they were less likely to influence the tempo of the performance.