Sometimes, I feel like I’ve heard the four Brahms symphonies more times than the Bay Area weather people notify me the next day will be sunny. But Simon Rattle is no ordinary weatherman in his new release of these concert-hall stalwarts. With Rattle, there's no boringly familiar, stupid smiling sun slapped up on the map, and calling it a day.
Instead, we get highly engaging, often revelatory tours of the hundreds of microclimates of Brahms’ expressivity, assisted by the vast-sounding and expert team of meteorologists known as the Berlin Philharmonic.
How can something so familiar sound so different and wonderful? Let me start by saying that this set is not the be-all and end-all of interpretations — far from it. While the First and Fourth symphonies on the whole are quite excellent, better can be found. It’s in the Second and Third where Rattle’s release becomes essential listening, and worth a prominent place in your collection. There, he displays an impressive genius in two aspects of music-making that make others sound like beginners by comparison: dynamics and pacing.
Dynamics refer to the loudness and softness of the music, and the transitions between degrees of volume. Brahms indicated many of these, along with tempo, in the scores, yet they are often ignored, deemphasized or leveled out in mediocre performances. Rattle not only makes most of Brahms’ indications especially audible, but makes most passages, indicated or not, follow dynamic fluctuations that sound intrinsic to the nature of the music. Little is static; Rattle is utterly involved in the flow.
Listen to the Music
Most impressive of all Rattle’s interpretations is the Third Symphony. Rattle brings out all the weighty and troubled majesty of the outer movements while retaining the more subtle and intimate feel of the inner movements. Least impressive are the first two movements of the Fourth, which, compared to Rattle’s achievements in the other symphonies, sound too smooth and uneventful. Fortunately, Rattle recovers somewhat in the concluding movements.
The final reason for a hearty recommendation for this release is the superb playing of the Berlin Philharmonic, and EMI’s excellent sonics. The orchestra sound is never grating or edgy, but robust, and often incredibly “buttery” in the right places. It’s a toast for your ears — put some of it on for your next day of music, whatever the weather.