Carlos Kleiber - Brahms Symphony No.4 (1st mov./second part)

[padredemishijos12]

I would love for Gustavo Dudamel and the Simon Bolivar Orchestra of Venezuela perform this Brahms piece.

[SportzNut21]

@padredemishijos12 There's a recording of Dudamel with the LA Philharmonic of this work; it won a Grammy for best orchestral recording last night. It's only available as a digital download from iTunes, however.

[000009arisd]

and, kleiber, you're a hero.

It's interesting that the only conductor alive today that can maybe touch a little of the glory that was kleiber's mysterious art, gustavo dudamel, is such a different animal, of another era

[padredemishijos12]

@000009arisd Maestro Kleiber became Carlos in Argentina, and Gustavo Dudamel is from the other end of South America as is Maestro Daniel Baremboim. Currently other South Americans, from Venezuela: Maestro Diego Matheuz, director of Teatro Fenice in Venice, and Maestro Christian Vasquez, Director of the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, in Norway. Gustavo Dudamel says that Carlos Kleiber is the best conductor of all time, and he may be right, but Dudamel is a modest and humble man.

[000009arisd]

EPOS

[corneliusfelix]

Disjointed - odd, episodic rubbato - celibidache is better imo

[bonesteve]

@corneliusfelix interesting you find this disjointed. he seems to work harder than any conductor i've ever seen to keep the flow of the piece almost uninterrupted and the momentem constant. celi, on the other hand, seems content to stretch the phrase shapes in very unusual ways (although i'd hesitate to call even his idiosyncracies disjointed). anyway, i do love celi in most everything and appreciate his love of orchestral sound.

[rondrich05]

the best one for me is Fritz Reiner Raders Digest recorder!!!

[saifapr]

What else? Nothing more, nothing better.

[AJNorth]

@1HiMimi We all have our favorite recordings of the works we love, sometimes even a "desert island" selection. For me, that Brahms 4th is the Charles Munch recording with the BSO, issued in 1959 by RCA as LSC-2297; it was available as one of their "Silver Seal" CDs (but in rather mediocre sound). Perhaps the new owners (Sony) will deign to add it to their "Living Stereo" series of hybrid SACD reissues (along with several others from that historic collection).

[AJNorth]

Of similar stature is the recording Fritz Reiner made for the Readers Digest with the RPO (Chesky CD006), recorded in London's Walthamstow Town Hall; on playback, Reiner turned to the recording engineer, Kenneth Wilkinson, and said, "Young man, this is the most beautiful recording I have made." Then there is Bruno Walter's valedictory recording made during his Indian Summer with the Columbia Symphony in Los Angeles, now on Sony - and, of course, Carlos Kleiber's recording with the VPO on DG.

[tedviolafire]

@AJNorth I remember Walter's recording from when I was very young. It was so wonderful- it was one of the reasons I switched from Piano to an Orchestral instrument, which I still play 50 years later.

I'll look for Reiner's. I love this Kleiber recording too, with it's astonishingly long phrases.

[AJNorth]

@tedviolafire If you can, try to locate a copy of the Charles Munch/BSO stereo recording (below); it may also end-up on your 'short list.' And, if you can locate a copy of the 1st piano concerto with Rudolf Serkin & George Szell/Cleveland Orch (Sony), you may be taken aback. The story goes that after recording the 1st mvmnt, the piano had to retuned; some critics knocked Serkin for heavy-handedness, but he & Szell were exactly spot-on. In the 2nd mvmnt, the aching poignancy will melt your heart.

[AJNorth]

Perhaps the Bavarian Staatskapelle hasn't the polish and energy of the VPO, with whom Kleiber made his recording of the Fourth for DG (here, for instance, the tempos are a bit broader), but they acquit themselves respectably in this live performance. Kleiber's moulding of the music carries his trademark stamp and transcendence.

[1HiMimi]

@AJNorth I was thinking that I've heard better orchestras, thanks for confirming. I've heard this played with more urgency, too. Brahms greatest symphony, for sure.

[1HiMimi]

@AJNorth I was thinking that I've heard better orchestras, thanks for confirming. I've heard this played with more urgency, too. Brahms greatest symphony, for sure. Wonderful blending of heroic and lyrical elements, but that's Brahms's trademark.

[dome364]

Il suo stile di conduzione è veramente esaltato con Brahms e soprattutto con questa sinfonia. Carlos Kleiber rimarrà un mistero, nella sua grandezza, per tutti quelli che amano la musica! Ogni nota dell'orchestra è così piena di vita e appassionata!!

[fanofhaydn]

the coda of the first movement is so insanely dramatic!

[MrClassicalClassics]

Brahms wrote of this symphony: "the cherries are not so sweet here, and you certainly would not want to eat them!" Amen.

[natto31]

Alguem da trompa errou a nota! Veja durante os 5:30 minutos do vídeo

[caothanhlan]

I love the way Kleiber conduct. He looks just like a wizard with his magic stick in the magical world.

[depedro99]

He looks kinda' gay conducting up there.

[TheBach2003]

Carlos Kleiber - the best of the best - marvellous !!!!

[TheBach2003]

The gratest MUSICIAN all of times Carlos Kleiber

[vizhtor77]

5:15 mistake of one brass instrument!!! Even great musicians are also humans..

[MrClassicalClassics]

@vizhtor77 The Bavarian State Orchestra isn't the greatest...

[LombanaClaudio]

Not too many "connaisseurs" can listen, read , understand or enjoy Brahms (his concertos, symphonies and quartets need some time time to be understood but then..., you will love his masterpieces). They were composed for "the few"! He is a TOP COMPOSER... one or two steps lower than Beethoven and Mozart (NOBODY CAN COMPOSE MUSIC LIKE WHAT BEETHOVEN and MOZART FOR US "mortals").

Brahms is A-OK!! Learn to listen to him and to his master pieces. They are out of this world!

[MrClassicalClassics]

@LombanaClaudio I agree with you. Many consider him a conservative at a time of musical progress. I have never understood this: he's keeping the classical model while revolutionizing music at the same time.

[padredemishijos12]

@LombanaClaudio I hate comparisons, Brahms is in the pantheon of composer gods, and all are equal.

[bpschi]

only a very angry Brahms could've written an ending like that intense...

[jawnps]

Why would someone dislike this?!

[EmceeLorder]

Don't you just love 3:04 - 3:28?

[iplongnin]

It is indeed a sublime moment - but here the cellos are too sharp, the acoustic, - they should be then as smooth and steady as they can be. I prefer Klemperer's recording (EMI great recordings of the century).

[mbw12194]

@EmceeLorder oh god yes i do. i played this once (cello) and that is the best part of quite possibly the best piece of classical music ever, in my opinion. i also love the bit at 1:30 and the last page of sheet music (5:42- the end)

[culodigatto1]

Quanto soffre... lo capisco completamente (o quasi...)...

[foerster]

;-)

[dajohnthomas69]

round 1.30...chills rolling down my spine...

[Neongrapes]

@dajohnthomas69 that's because of the augmented chord

C E Ab

[raiu0009]

I hear something off at 5:16-5:17, particularly in the French Horn section. Anyone else catch it? I hope it's just my ears that are off.

[JoColonnelloKurtz]

this is SCROC...do you know SCROC?

[lemonedo]

I hear, too :)

[shivadasnyc]

@raiu0009 You are right, there's a missing note there.

[hornalicious]

@raiu0009 The 1'st horn clipped the pitch just slightly, but these are great horn players! It happens to everyone....you loose focus for just one split second and that can happen, even to the most seasoned of horn players.

[Bautisnemo]

I'm expecting him to throw his dark side of the force rays....

[overlordKrunK]

lol very mature

[Bautisnemo]

Well certainly is not a really mature comment, but , come on look to him, he has the same face as Palpatine !!:_D

[overlordKrunK]

true. and he can do crazy shit with his hands. Hell, maybe he can channel the force through them as well

[ajvila]

Brahms rocks!!!

[GusMagnusO]

Definently an awesome symphony. However Brahms' 5th in D will always be best!!

[xaviqaz]

Brahms 5th?

[taviona]

I have to say I prefer Beethoven's 12th in R major. :P

[LudwigZhi]

Dude really? Maybe Brahms has a posthumous work I've never heard of.

[MrFrankLB]

6:37 = awesome conducting skill

[MrChris1125]

I prefer brahms 3.

[ivanovic241]

there is no best sym.

every time when i listen to one of the Brahms sym, it seem to b the best

[jazzlover06]

...I suffer from the same complaint!

[beethomozart]

wonderful 1st movement of what is considered Brahms' best symphony of the 4 he composed. premiered in 1885, definetely is the best contribution to this genre, excellent Brahms

[cedricyu803]

Kleiber looked so old...

[ilshatt]

I have to get de Furtwangler´s version with the Berlin Philarmonic recorded in the mid 40´s, is the best recording i have ever heard of this Symphony.

[jo53ha]

Karajan´s version is better but i like this too.

[Lavalampoflava]

I feel that This symphony, the first two movements especially is very imaginative and passionate, and at times very warm. You could lose yourself in it!

[GaramRee]

This is a recommended piece for violin auditions to the YT symphony orchestra.

[ThaSchwab]

Yes,the excerpt begins at 5:39.

[Wickedcooler]

Eww man that guy is so anti-climactic.

[LazlosPlane]

The piece cries for a ritardando at the end, at least the last two measures, to allow those profound and ominous drum beats to punctuate the pieces conclusion.

Way too rushed.

[guimachaut]

I must say that I like the way it is. A ritard. would have been too melodramatic given the quiet intensity throughout the piece.

[sirwootalot]

You don't play it if it isn't written.

[clarinetmeister]

If all musicians played is what's on the page, we'd be essentially MIDI files. You can control the volume/dynamics on (some) MIDI files, and articulation, and speed, but NEVER musicality.

[alvik2007]

Divine!

[beethoven4ever]

If this is not heavenly, i'd rather not be in heaven

[lau399]

So powerful and intense! divine music! love the phrasing!!!

[galaxyrainguy]

I love Kleibers conducting even though this isn't in his finest mode, some lines in it could use more magic and feeling(singing), though he does a great job keeping down the hellish pressure that usually accompanies this piece.

[gunmenow]

you could never imagine how fantastic is the symphony

[Polpy68]

I often listen to the symphony in the morning, it helps me to get ready for the day... The last few seconds of this movement are awesome

[mathpianist93]

Wow.

This level of drama...

[kinercia]

oooooH!!!! out of this world

[sbor2020]

Revelation

[balazsorban]

Don't need to comment.