This is the second
instalment in Marin Alsop’s ongoing
Brahms cycle. Both its predecessor and
this latest offering have been widely
praised by colleagues. I’ve heard her
both on radio and on disc in twentieth
century repertoire but I’d yet to encounter
her in "standard" repertoire
so I was curious to hear her in Brahms
and especially in what has long been
my favourite of the four symphonies.
She immediately scores
high marks with me for taking the exposition
repeat in the first movement. This is
not so often done. I can understand
why conductors omit the repeat for there
is an issue of structural balance. Taking
the repeat elongates the first movement
by some five minutes - in this performance
- and thereby means that, in Ms Alsop’s
hands, the first movement accounts for
20:05 of the 44:51 that she takes for
the whole symphony. So there is a danger
of imbalance but I must say I didn’t
feel that this particular reading was
unbalanced and, in any case, why wouldn’t
one wish to hear such wonderful music
twice? Also, omitting the repeat means
that the first time bars must be left
out and that’s a pity since the music
they contain is well worth hearing,
as Ms Alsop demonstrates.
In his good liner-note
Robert Pascall rightly draws attention
to the dark side of this movement. The
Second is conventionally regarded as
Brahms’s sunniest symphony and many
conductors focus on that side rather
than the darker element, which is mainly
to be found in the development section.
Marin Alsop, it seems to me, is one
such and I don’t find that her interpretation
brings out the dark side of the music.
That’s not to disparage her reading
in any way. A "sunny" approach
is perfectly valid and, in any case,
even if you appreciate a performance
that hints at deeper waters, as I do,
you may not want to hear such a reading
every day. A couple of years ago, for
example, I reviewed
what I thought was an exceptionally
unsettling account of this movement
by Furtwängler. Tremendously impressive
though that was, it wouldn’t do for
everyday listening. No, it seems to
me that Marin Alsop gives us a well-imagined
and highly enjoyable rendition of this
movement, one which is built on rhythmic
vitality, warm phrasing and excellent
attention to dynamics.
Ms. Alsop judges the
start of the second movement beautifully,
encouraging the celli to sing out. Later
there’s excellent work by the LPO’s
principal horn and, indeed, this is
matched by the other wind soloists.
Ms. Alsop clearly loves this music and
under her guidance the strings phrase
generously. She pays great attention
to sustaining the musical line and this
I like very much. In the central section
of the movement there’s just the right
amount of powerful projection before
the return of the warm lyricism that
characterised the opening paragraphs.
There’s some nice,
pert wind playing at the start of the
Allegretto and later the strings
match their wind colleagues in agility.
This movement is a fairly brief interlude
in the overall scheme of things, a bit
of a musical sorbet in fact. Here it
receives a fresh and engaging reading.
Ms. Alsop catches well
the mood of suppressed energy at the
start of the finale. Once Brahms increases
the volume she presses the music home
splendidly, striking a balance between
energy and lyricism that seems to me
to be extremely well judged. The end
of this ebullient movement is irresistibly
jubilant here with the LPO brass, who
have served their conductor well throughout
the whole performance, well to the fore.
In summary, this is
an invigorating and very enjoyable reading
of this fine symphony. The LPO plays
attentively and with commitment. On
the evidence of this release, this Brahms
cycle is not one that’s being made just
for the sake of it but rather because
Marin Alsop wanted to do it and has
something definite to say about the
music.
As a filler we’re offered
eight of the Hungarian Dances,
three of them in orchestrations by Brahms,
the remainder in orchestral dress tailored
for them by Dvořák. I have to confess
that these pieces aren’t really my cup
of tea but they are well done. In common
with a lot of so-called light
music these dances aren’t easy to do
well. On this occasion the performances
benefit from enthusiastic playing. Equally
important is the fact that the dances
are shaped affectionately by Marin Alsop,
who displays a good, intuitive sense
of rubato.
A most enjoyable disc
which can be recommended confidently
and enthusiastically.
John Quinn
See also reviews by Kevin
Sutton and Gwyn
Parry-Jones (December Recording
of the Month)
London Philharmonic Orchestra/Marin Alsop
