Brahms: Symphonies Three and Four

Four years ago, when this live recording was made in London’s Royal Festival Hall, I was a bit sniffy about Jurowski’s Brahms – a judgment that must be revised in the light of the spruce, transparent and warm performances this CD captures.

The orchestral sound, the opposite of stodgy, has a central European depth that seems echt-Brahmsian. The London Philharmonic’s strings combine passion and poise, the woodwinds are exquisite, and Jurowski accepts the music as a lyrical outpouring. In short, unlike John Eliot Gardiner’s wham-bam approach, the LPO’s principal conductor marries the best of tradition with the best of modern practice.

Brahms

Symphonies Three and Four

Vladimir Jurowski

(London Philharmonic Orchestra)