Brahms: Serenade No. 1 / Tragic, & Academic Festival Overtures
The First Serenade is a lovely work--sunny and fresh sounding--but Michael Tilson Thomas has not quite solved all of its interpretive problems. Perhaps this is due to the unpleasant digital recording, which manages to make the orchestra sound both glaring and thick at the same time. There are many excellent performances of this piece (István Kertész, Sir Adrian Boult, Yoel Levi), so you're not missing anything if you pass on this one.--David Hurwitz