Brahms: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 3

Chronique

After recording the symphonies of Anton Bruckner for Coviello, Marcus Bosch and the Aachen Symphony Orchestra turn their attention to the symphonies of Johannes Brahms. This hybrid SACD offers the Symphony No. 2 in D major and the Symphony No. 3 in F major in spacious sound and deep dimensions, with the clean and airy reproduction for which this label is known. However, there are a few idiosyncrasies about the performances that take some getting used to, such as the curiously brittle tone of the timpani, which are ostensibly played with hard mallets, and the pronounced staccato accents and clipped phrases, which at times make the music choppy. It would seem that Bosch is trying to avoid luxurious sounds at all costs and aims instead to supply lean textures and sinewy lines, giving these pieces edginess and muscularity, an unusual approach when compared with any number of lush and leisurely interpretations on the market. While this is a valid way to make the symphonies sound fresh and vital, one might wish that the orchestral blend was richer, rounder, and more burnished in tone, if only to take full advantage of the multichannel audiophile recording.

© TiVo