Beethoven Symphony No 6 – Brahms Symphony No 2

Ludwig Van Beethoven (1770-1827)

Symphony No. 6 in F, Opus 68 – “Pastoral”

BBC Symphony Orchestra (Sir Adrian Boult, conductor)

Recorded live on August 1, 1972 at the Royal Albert Hall, London

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)

Symphony No. 2 in D, Opus 73

BBC Symphony Orchestra (Sir John Pritchard)

Recorded live on September 3, 1981 at the Royal Albert Hall, London

ONE-SENTENCE REVIEW (BEETHOVEN):

OK – so unlike my last review of Beethoven’s 6th Symphony (which was awful), this one is a terrific live recording from 1972 – conducted by Sir Adrian Boult – and that’s pretty much all you need to know.

ONE-SENTENCE REVIEW (BRAHMS):

Though the Brahms Symphony No. 2 is not a personal favorite (I’m afraid if I would have been present during the performance you might have heard me yawn on the recording), but this is still a great live performance of (in my opinion) a boring symphony and a must listen for any fan of Brahms.

ORIGINAL LINER NOTES:

No liner notes – it’s just another one of those cheap discs (cheaply made – not cheap performances by any means) that came with my paid subscription to BBC Music Magazine in the early 1990s. That magazine is long gone and it was sad when it went away. I used to love to get those surprise discs every month in the mail. Ah, well…

TRACK LISTING:

• 1-5: Beethoven – Symphony No. 6 in F, Opus 68 (Pastoral)
• 6-9: Brahms: Symphony No. 2 in D, Opus 73

Note: These bottom videos are meant to be a really good live recording that I can share and not just the sound recordings of the CDs being reviewed (those are meant to be the links at the top).

FINAL THOUGHT:

Very competent, solid recording. It’s Beethoven as Beethoven should be played and Brahms as Brahms should be played – nothing wrong with that.

 

Emily Sachs – President – Manka Music Group (A division of Manka Bros. Studios – The World’s Largest Media Company)