Symphony no 4 in E minor, Op. 98 by Johannes Brahms
Conductor: Igor Markevitch
Orchestra/Ensemble: Lamoureux Concerts Association Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1884-1885; Austria
Venue: Polydor Studios, Paris, France
Notes: This selection is a stereo recording.
Igor Markevitch was a remarkable conductor: stylish, unsentimental, and a true "servant of the score" as befits a composer with his particular leanings. He was marvelous in music of the classical period and always could be counted on to highlight the "classical" side of Romantic composers such as Brahms (and even Tchaikovsky) to excellent effect. He's also proof of Mahler's dictum that "there are no bad orchestras, only bad conductors." The recordings in this set, ranging in date from the early 1950s to the early '60s, encompass an international coterie of bands, including the Berlin Philharmonic, the Lamoureux Orchestra, the Symphony of the Air, and the USSR State Symphony Orchestra--and yet the results are amazingly consistent in matters of ensemble balance, rhythmic accuracy, and discipline.
The Markevitch recordings of classical masters included here (Mozart Symphonies Nos. 34, 35, and 38; Haydn's Sinfonia concertante; Gluck's Sinfonia in G; Cimarosa's Concerto for 2 flutes in G; Schubert's Symphony No. 3; and Beethoven's Symphonies Nos. 3 and 6 along with a generous selection of overtures) anticipate the "period-instrument" movement in their generally swift tempos, generous treatment of winds and brass, and rhythmic vitality. His Brahms (Symphonies Nos. 1 and 4; Tragic Overture; Alto Rhapsody) is no less impressive. Indeed, this Fourth Symphony (with the Lamoureux Orchestra) is one of the finest recordings of the piece, and it will come as a revelation to those who believe that a dark, "German" sound in this music is its only appropriate idiom.
