Brahms: Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98
A classic returns! Carlos Kleiber reportedly suffers from such nerves  that he rarely manages the fortitude necessary to commit his interpretive  thoughts to disc. That makes every one of his all too few recordings special,  and this is no exception. Kleiber's Brahms is straightforward, rock steady, and  superbly played. There are many versions of this symphony that feature more  emphatic highlights and individual features, but few have the sort of cumulative  power that carries right up to the last note. This one does. Kleiber's  architectural grasp is especially evident in the finale, which, as a series of  variations over a repeated bass line, is in itself a type of musical  architecture. An unforgettable experience.--David Hurwitz