Brahms: Symphony No. 2 & Alto Rhapsody

Album review

John Eliot Gardiner, the conductor more highly decorated by the recording industry than any other, returns for his second installment of his complete cycle of the Brahms symphonies. This disc includes the Second Symphony along with the lush Alto Rhapsody and three Schubert songs (two of which were arranged by Brahms). Gardiner's argument to juxtapose vocal and symphonic works is sound; Brahms' true compositional love was for the voice, and his symphonies reflect this in their frequent vocal, choral qualities. Like other recordings of Gardiner, an abundance of research preceded these Brahms performances. Detailed investigation into the types of instruments used, their arrangement on-stage, and performance practices of which Brahms approved results in a recording perhaps as close to an original as is currently available. All of this scholarship does not, in any way, mean a purely academic, sterile performance. Listeners will be hard pressed to find a more impassioned Second Symphony, and anyone who doesn't find themselves conducting in their car during the finale of the Fourth Movement should probably check for a pulse. Even with the period instruments used by the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique, a rich, velvety tone is still produced. Yes, the natural horns stick out sometimes and yes, the winds may be a bit brighter than those in modern orchestras, but that's entirely the point. Beyond the Second Symphony, contralto Nathalie Stutzmann's performance of the Alto Rhapsody is simply breathtaking; her vocal tone is as pure and clear as the Monteverdi Choir's tone in the three Schubert songs.
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