The Brahms symphonies can readily be described
as ‘central repertoire’, meaning that all orchestras play
them season on season, and there are recordings in abundance.
It may seem surprising to find a chamber orchestra entering
what is symphony orchestra territory, but by ensuring that
the strings are up to strength, this is a distinct possibility.
The clarity of ensemble and excellence of the players are
things for which the best chamber orchestras, including the
Scottish Chamber Orchestra, are well known.
So it proves here in these recordings made
in 1997 and released as a three CD set, available separately,
of all four symphonies plus a few additional items. The coupling
of Symphonies 3 and 4 is a generous one and the performances
have great merit. Mackerras is an experienced conductor and
knows how to capture the strengths of each of these great
pieces. For in each case there is an urgent sense of drama,
with an ebb and flow of tension and relaxation across the
symphonic span.
The Third Symphony is particularly fine in
this performance, probably the most successful of the four
gathered in this collection. The autumnal postlude of the
finale glows warmly, casting its reflection across the whole
work, the spreading of the tempo being absolutely right.
As with the other recordings in the series,
the violin sound will not suit all tastes. The booklet admirably
puts forward the case for a more modestly-sized string section,
such as Brahms would have encountered at Meiningen, for which
orchestra he composed the Symphony No. 4. However, since the
warmth of the strings is pleasingly captured, the rather thin
violin sound is as likely to be the result of the recording
as of the number of players. Be that as it may, the lack of
body is noticeable from the very beginning of the first movement
- it seems less problematic in No. 3 - and there is a certain
shrillness too. The beautiful playing of the woodwinds brings
ample compensation, as it does elsewhere in the series.
The taut rhythms of the third movement scherzo
are brilliantly done with as tight an ensemble as you could
wish to hear, and the triangle as ever makes its telling presence
felt. But it is upon the finale that the weight of the symphony
and its tragic conclusion must fall. Mackerras brings an urgency
to the drama, and it seems scarcely credible that Brahms conjured
more than thirty variations into little more than ten minutes,
so fluent is the musical line. The momentum is a powerful
force, and brings this interesting Brahms cycle to an imposing
conclusion.
Terry
Barfoot
Scottish Chamber Orchestra/Sir Charles Mackerras
