Klemperer conducts Brahms Symphony No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 68 (1/6)

[ergarza17]

makes me wanna twerk my ass

[redsun51]

@redsun51 korg music mania Japan

[redsun51]

@redsun51 watch?v=x_jaCThdaBo

[Jo2142]

the beginning is so fu..ing epic!!!

[ifrit26]

This piece starts in Medias Res

[Ceremare]

Both Beethoven and Brahams are great composers. I have always enjoyed Brahams' music. I often hear 'critics' (aren't we all) say that Brahams is a lesser composer. The more I listen to Brahams, the more I appreciate his genious at writing music of character within a structured form. Beethoven broke with tradition so many times (Eroica dischord and the string quartet with ? movements). Brahams was a master of the traditional but developed a perfect version of it which rises far above the ordinary

[itsjustnopinionok]

@PacRimjim U can hum any of Brahms sym's and only a very very few people will know the composer. Sing the 5thbor 9th themes and alot of people will say Beethoven.

[akagi2002]

@itsjustnopinionok For those who hum Brahms in their mind and really enjoy it, they don't need that any one recognizes any theme. Right the contrary to the most "Beethoven fans". "frei aber einsam"---I guess Brahms never thought to compose for "a lot gf people".

[itsjustnopinionok]

@akagi2002 is this gonna get stupid? I really don't care one way or the other. I really lik them both. Is that ok now?

[itsjustnopinionok]

@PacRimJim i don't think so. Alot of people hum the 9th's forth melody some time in their lives, and his 5th first movement theme might as well be played at the birth of every child. brahms got some masterpieces. But to say his first is better than any of Beet's is very unjust.

[PacRimJim]

Brahms's First was called Beethoven's Tenth.

I, however, think it superior to them.

[PacRimJim]

Know who Otto's son was?

Werner, aka Colonel Klink in Hogan's Heroes.

[yenrabaraho]

Klemp hits the nail on the head, yet again. One of the great interpreters of all time.

[Johlies]

Brahms never published anything that wasn't perfect. Leave it to a master such as Brahms to write the opening to his first ever Symphony much like the strong, deep, and meaningful openings of a Requiem.

[MnDxWRAITHx]

44 seconds of purging. Incredible. Slow tempo and forceful timpani do this piece justice. Thank you Klemperer!

[Opoczynski]

Great 1st movement, but he seems to run out of steam in the coda of the final movement. Too bad.

[murraybowles]

yes! that introduction is perfect.

[daxdax500]

Klemperer was a genius... even after all these years I haven't found a recording with the same passion and soul....thanks for uploading and sharing. A real treat!!

[TommyLeungCW]

Among my collections : Walter, Karajan, Klemperer, This Kemperer's is the my most favourite for Brahms Sym 1- esp the opening of 1st Movt. After hearing this, I just can't hear more than 5 min. from the rest performances.

[TommyLeungCW]

Among my collections : Walter, Karajan, Klemperer, This Kemperer's is the my most favourite- esp the opening of 1st Movt. After hearing this, I just can't hear more than 5 min. from the rest performances.

[IssacAndSophie]

The force of the timpani at the beginning being so great makes such a difference

[mad4you1000]

This is therapeutic.

[themurge]

mmm I'm seeing this piece live in October. Can't wait

[sobelou]

Brahms' first is not just a symphony, it is a towering musical Cathedral!!

[chezzo88]

Powerful timpani!!!

[Kippchenschnorrer]

he is great :)

[petezilla]

HUGE.

[meyronnet73]

Plongée dans les profondeurs de l'âme, obscurité et lumière, le mystère de la vie

[TheVaccumtube]

@billyguns2 I absolutely agree with ur comment my friend. Klemperer's reading of the score is deep, the timpani motifs at the opening is very dignified with high sense of drama, that's how Brahms' NO.1 should always sound like. Otto Klemperer is a grand master from the old school, it is beyond doubt that this old man was the flag bearer of the great Germanic music tradition in his time. I love this recording, it sounds Brahms. Bravo.

[peachmelba16]

Grips like a fist.

[Kippchenschnorrer]

Brahms is my grand... grand uncle :)

told me my grandmum :D:D

[peachmelba16]

@Kippchenschnorrer That's fantastic. You must be so proud.

[catwoooman]

@Kippchenschnorrer amazing :O

[MisteriosaVampiria]

@Kippchenschnorrer :)

[cedricyu803]

the oboe part is really touching. Great interpretation by Kleperer and PO. Bravo!

[lovesGenet]

the woodwinds and fr. horn writing and the strings is one of the marvels of symph literature on da page it i sgenius and then the physical sound.God it took him time but IS DIS INCREDIBLE> DID BRAHMS TEACH COMPOSITION > HIS ORCHESTRATIONSARE MARVELOUS.END OR WORLD MUSIC BALANCED by wit and acerbity & etc.

[BIGR7272]

I always liked the darkness of Brahms.

[radiootoo]

All German, all the time!

[changjiang001]

I really adore klemperer's structure construction in this symphony.

[changjiang001]

Beethoven didnt write such beautiful melodies of woodwines as Brahms did

[QMPhilosophe]

I have always loved this symphony, particularly the 1st movement. Pure music! Klemperer's interpretation is great, very dramatic.

[MrLandale]

It sounds like Beethoven, there are many similarities.

[imperiumdiaboli]

@MrLandale "Any ass can see that."—Johannes Brahms

[kyoyaoliver10th]

does anyone know where the flute solo in movement 4 is?

[MegaDocalex]

That's why we call it ''The symphonie no.10 of Beethoven''

C'est pourquoi on l'appelle La symphonie no.10 de Beethoven

On ressent l'émotion de la même façon que dans le premier mouvement de la neuvième.

[MegaDocalex]

That's why we call it ''The symphonie no.10 of Beethoven''

C'est pourquoi on l'appelle La symphonie no.10 de Beethoven

On ressent l'émotion de la même façon que dans le premier mouvement de la neuvième.

[turquoise770]

@billyguns2 it is said that those tympani beats at the beginning are the heavily treading footsteps of beethoven closely following behind, at least in the mind of the heir apparent of german romanticism--Johannes Brahms

[sexybrahms]

sexybrahms

[changjiang001]

Among all the Brahms 1 recordings I've listened to, Klemperer had the finest sense of structure. That 's why his brahms are so amazing. He made this symphony especially magnificant.

[psalmtone2008]

I think that not repeating sonata form expositions had to do with fitting the movements onto a side of the LPs of the day, which were roughly 30 minutes a side...someone correct me if they know another reason.

[ezekieloak]

@psalmtone2008 That may have cemented it but I don't think it was strictly a technical thing. The entire debate about through-composed vs. repeated sections has a very long history. It was kind of when Sibelius started doing all of his continuous symphonic works, also. Another reason would be the rise of the printing press combined with the relative affordability and homogeneity of instruments: The Death of the Trills. Musicians got stuck on the page while the orchestra expanded. Maybe?

[Opoczynski]

Great performance. Too bad Klemperer does not repeat the exposition. That repeat, from the first ending to to the beginning, is one of the most tonally startling transitions in music. Yet it's understandable. In 1958 hardly any conductor repeated sonata form expositions.

[polymath7]

It's my understanding (please someone let me know if I'm wrong) that Brahms for some timedespaired of writing a symphony because it was thought that Beethoven had said everything and Brahms "felt his specter looming over him".

I might have confused Brahms with Schuman in this context, but at any rate it seems to me Brahms certainly need not have been trepidatious . This is magnificent.

[clarksc1988]

@polymath7 No, you are correct, it was Brahms who said so.

[dredeye]

@polymath7  Yeah that was Brahms and hey, what composer wouldn't be worried that they would compared to Beethoven.

[polymath7]

@dredeye

Yes, Beethoven is a collossus,

And, in terms of sheer inventiveness, it seems to me he straddles the harbor alone. Absolutely no composer before or since has so fundamentally, so profoundly, transformed what came immediately before him -compare the Eroica to the later symphonies of Hayden.

[Dodo251]

@polymath7 Haydn, not Hayden.

[polymath7]

@Dodo251 Yeah, I know, it was a careless mistake. But thanks anyway for the correction.

[Dodo251]

@polymath7 That's all right. I like what you said and I completely agree even though I think all of those 'colossal' composers (Bach, Mozart etc.) at one point or another reached a creative peak in which they alone created something new and groundbreaking just like Beethoven. Only difference is, Beethoven surely made a bigger bang and took music to a completely different plane. We should be very thankful for him and his unrepeatable talent. What a man!

[polymath7]

I.

"...all those 'collossal' composers at one poit or another reached a creative peak in which they alone created something new and groundbreaking..."

Certainly. It seems there is little upon which we disagree.

My central point is that no other composer in history seems so radically original, so atonishingly *new*, when viewed in the context of his own time.

Someone (Lenoard Brenstein?) said that Beethoven's Eroica is the biggest single step forward ever taken by any individual...

[polymath7]

@polymath7 II.

...in the history of music.

As best I can tell this observation is entirely justified.

[Dodo251]

@polymath7 Oh and if you haven't, please search on YouTube Leonard Bernstein's Omnibus videos. Those are various videos from a '50s TV show hosted by Leonard himself. He gives such a great (but brief) insight into Jazz, Bach, Beethoven, modern music, the art of conducting etc. You'll surely like it, I guarantee.

[lupuspglh]

@Dodo251 Thanks a lot for the recommendation, I have enjoyed watching them very much. However, all the videos I have found are fragments; do you know where I can find the complete recording?

[Dodo251]

@polymath7 I couldn't agree with you or Leonard more. Beethoven is such an unique composer and from my layman point of view, no one, absolutely no one can reach such a level of musical creativity as he did. I'm not that familiar with music theory but from what I've read and after listening to his most famous works I can surely say that for me, he is the greatest composer of all time. Bernstein would disagree with me, saying that Bach is and I can see his point but somehow, Beethoven is my choice

[polymath7]

Just to be clear, were you affirming my attribution of that quote to Bernstein? Because I'm far from certain.

I could say a quite a bit -quite a bit more than anyone would care to hear- about whether I think Bach or Beethoven the greater composer, in which moods I tend to think the one or the other, and why. But this would require a rumination and deliberate choice of words I don't at the moment have time for.

I will indeed do a search for the Omnibus videos. Thanks. :-)

[Dodo251]

@polymath7 Well, I'm not certain that Bernstein said that either but from what I've seen, watching his videos, it could have been him. And by all means, search for those videos. They are true gems on YouTube, gems for all the people who love and appreciate both classical music and this man's gigantic musical knowledge.

[Gargantupimp]

@Dodo251 FRANZ LISZT IS THE GREATEST COMPOSER!! FOR ORCHESTRA! AND FOR PIANO! CAN ANYONE OF YOU PROVE ME WRONG??

[istickyricei]

@Gargantupimp RACHMANINOFF

[violiner9391]

@Gargantupimp ya this piece

[paulostroff99]

@Gargantupimp -Much easier than you proving yourself to be sane. I love Liszt,but that is a preposterous statement.

[Gargantupimp]

Why is it preposterous? Who is greater than Liszt and Why? How do you tell if one composer is better than another?

[mycatrox565]

@Gargantupimp i believe a composer is great if he/she can reach and pull and emotion from you. all emotions are equal, therefore if a composer tries to evict a feeling, they are considered great. in my opinion.

[ezekieloak]

@dredeye John Cage? 

[Dodo251]

@ezekieloak hahaha you've got to be kidding.

[ezekieloak]

@Dodo251 Yeah, it´s nice to keep a light sense about one´s self here.

[murraybowles]

This was pretty much a perfect performance. LOL if only K had signed to Decca so the sound would be perfect.

[violalord1]

The great Brahms

[PauleQueenie]

Here is the birth of one's life marching through the journey of life and the music punches him/her and succomb to calmer moments as if to suppose everything will be splendid and lovable and even if it quite so for a long while, really pleasant soothing passage returns to higher tones, maybe falls and hunting opening season and snow fall, how beautiful and cruel. Almost hiding until a more balance period arrives and settles. It is very repetitive to the ear and the end fades away almost unnoticed

[PauleQueenie]

I was doing manual fanning beside the video because I thought they might get hot while playing this symphony of Brahms.

[PauleQueenie]

billyguns2, may I ask why you listen to classical music such as Brahms when you write and I quote you:" No sentiment here!" I don't understand.

[billyguns2]

I should rather have said "No sentimental performance by Maestro Klemperer here!" i.e., his performnace is strong, rugged, and grand, not weak and sentimental. Is that clear?

[PauleQueenie]

billyguns2, wouldn't you agree that this peformance has both and quite well balanced at times. However, Mr Klemperer, does not go to extreme in either way, it is a solemn performance.

Thank you for your reply.

Good day to you

[codonauta]

Probably the best first symphony of all composers. Maybe with the Mahler n.o 1

[potassiumchlorate]

Sublime!

[60ECg]

Excellent

[paulostroff99]

Stunning! Perfectly conducted and played IMHO.Klemperer was up there among the best Brahms interpreters of the 20 Th. century with greats such as Bruno Walter and Felix Weingartner

Nravo! TY.

[CaptainBluebear08]

Great that you are uploading now Klemperer, Sinfoniette. One of the best !

[jarrettchris]

Oh Mann! Was hat KL'empereur mit dem armen Brahms gemacht. Gefällt mir gar nicht. Diese Symphonie vergleichen mit Schuricht oder Szell - da ist weniger Sturheit und mehr Genie drin.

[coconutcrabz54]

nice :)