Brahms: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 2 - Tragic Overture / Variations on a Theme by Haydn London Symphony Orchestra & Valery Gergiev

• Johannes Brahms (1833-1897): Symphony No. 1
• 1 I. Un poco sostenuto - Allegro 16:58
• 2 II. Andante sostenuto 09:51
• 3 III. Un poco allegretto e grazioso 04:53
• 4 IV. Adagio - Piu andante - Allegro non troppo ma con brio 17:20
• Tragic Overture
• 5 Tragic Overture, Op. 81 14:33
• Symphony No. 2
• 6 I. Allegro non troppo 20:14
• 7 II. Adagio non troppo - L'istesso tempo, ma grazioso 09:34
• 8 III. Allegretto grazioso (quasi andantino) - Presto ma non assai 05:18
• 9 IV. Allegro con spirito 09:32
• Variations on a Theme of Haydn
• 10 Theme: Chorale St. Antoni: Andante 01:53
• 11 Variation 1: Andante con moto 01:16
• 12 Variation 2: Vivace 01:00
• 13 Variation 3: Con moto 01:38
• 14 Variation 4: Andante 01:57
• 15 Variation 5: Poco presto 00:54
• 16 Variation 6: Vivace 01:20
• 17 Variation 7: Grazioso 02:31
• 18 Variation 8: Poco presto 01:09
• 19 Finale: Andante 03:27
• Total Runtime 02:05:18

Info for Brahms: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 2 - Tragic Overture / Variations on a Theme by Haydn

Valery Gergiev begins his Brahms symphony cycle with recordings of the first two symphonies, Tragic Overture and Haydn Variations. The recording and performances of Brahms’ symphonies was a new departure for Gergiev, an opportunity he relished with energy and enthusiasm, and his interpretations have been acknowledged for shining new light on these works. The symphonies were toured internationally, including the Edinburgh International Festival in 2012.

The Haydn Variations was Brahms’ first orchestral piece, and was the first set of independent variations for orchestra by any composer. His epic first symphony, portraying dignity and grandeur, was ecstatically received at its premier in 1876, and Brahms was soon heralded as one of the great symphonic masters. His second symphony, with its joyful melodies and pastoral beauty, portrays a more relaxed tone than its predecessor. The Tragic Overture, on the other hand, is turbulent and tormented, with a powerful and magnificent energy.

“Gergiev produces a gripping, architecturally secure account of the First Symphony: his rather ponderous tempo for the first-movement Allegro imparts a sort of baleful inevitability to its progress, and the finale’s overall transition from darkness to light is vividly conveyed.“ (BBC Music Magazine)

“Gergiev keeps the tempi moving in all four movements [of the Second], and the first movement in particular has a fitting sense of flow to it...The Tragic Overture is suitably brooding...There is a pleasing legato feel to Gergiev's reading [of the Haydn Variations]” (MusicWeb International)

London Symphony Orchestra
Valery Gergiev, conductor

No biography found.

Booklet for Brahms: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 2 - Tragic Overture / Variations on a Theme by Haydn