Brahms: Symphony 3
Marin Alsop and the London Philharmonic continue their foray into the Brahms symphonies with what some people feel is the Master's greatest work--certainly the one filled with his most poetic utterances. It is impossible not to be enchanted by the abundance of folk-like, the easy melodies in the first movement, or the pastoral wind opening of the second--here played so naturally and warmly under Alsop that it sounds like speech. The sad little melody of the third movement is not lingered over, and the waltz seems to come from a faraway place (with stunning horn playing); the finale triumphant and energetic, with quite a storm at its center and a true build-up of tension racing toward the finish. The LPO is superb, the winds, in particular, playing as if Dvorak has coached them. The Haydn Variations are given a colorful, flavorful performance, with the brass spectacular in both their restraint and lack thereof when called for. This is a stunning release: a must-have.--Robert Levine