Brahms Symphony No. 1 in Building a Library with Katy Hamilton & Andrew McGregor
Katy Hamilton selects her favourite recording of Brahms Symphony No. 1 in C minor and Jeremy Sams shares his choice of the latest classical releases.
Andrew McGregor with the best new recordings of classical music.
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Jeremy Sams shares his choice of some of the most exciting new classical releases.
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Building a Library
Katy Hamilton selects her favourite version of Johannes Brahms Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68.
Like so many composers in the post-Beethovenian Austro-German world, Brahms struggled with what a symphony should be and it wasn't until he was 43, with two orchestral serenades and a symphony-turned-piano-concerto under his belt that he managed to complete his first. On the surface, the First Symphony's C minor-to-major, darkness-to-light journey (and a tune in the last movement which, as Brahms put it, 'any idiot could see' was a near quote of the Ode to Joy) might seem freighted with Beethoven's pervasive influence. But this compelling music is suffused with the spirit and sound-world of late 19th century Romanticism and marks the beginning of another exceptional symphonic cycle.
Katy's choice:
Johannes Brahms: The Symphonies
Chamber Orchestra of Europe/Yannick Nézet-Séguin
Deutsche Grammophon 4866000
1545
Record of the Week: Andrew’s top pick.
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Music Played
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Miles Davis
Milestones
Music Arranger: Raphaël Merlin. Ensemble: Quatuor Ébène.- Erato.
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Franz Schubert
Piano Sonata in A major D.959 (3rd mvt)
Performer: Ronald Brautigam.- BIS.
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Christoph Willibald Gluck
Iphigénie en Aulide (Ouverture; Air. Diane impitoyable, en vain vous l'ordonnez)
Singer: Tassis Christoyannis. Orchestra: Le Concert de la Loge. Conductor: Julien Chauvin.- Alpha.
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Igor Stravinsky
Octet (1st mvt)
Ensemble: Royal Academy of Music. Ensemble: Julliard School Ensemble. Conductor: Barbara Hannigan.- Linn.
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Alfred Schnittke
Little Tragedies (selection)
Performer: Vladimir Jurowski. Orchestra: Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin.- Capriccio.
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Jacques Offenbach
La vie parisienne (Jean le cocher?; Son habit a craqué dans le dos)
Singer: Elena Galitskaïa. Singer: Louise Pingeot. Singer: Anne-Catherine Gillet. Singer: Marie Gautrot. Singer: Caroline Meng. Singer: Marie Kalinine. Singer: Jérôme Boutillier. Singer: Marc Mauillon. Orchestra: Orchestre national du Capitole de Toulouse. Conductor: Romain Dumas.- Bru Zane.
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Johannes Brahms
Piano Quartet no.3 in C minor Op.60 (2nd mvt)
Performer: Christian Tetzlaff. Performer: Barbara Buntrock. Performer: Tanja Tetzlaff. Performer: Lars Vogt.- Brahms: Piano Quartets Nos. 2 & 3.
- Ondine.
- 202.
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Giacomo Puccini
Donna non vidi mai (Manon Lescaut)
Singer: Jonathan Tetelman. Orchestra: Prague Philharmonia. Conductor: Carlo Rizzi.- The Great Puccini.
- Deutsche Grammophon (DG).
- 1.
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Gerald Finzi
5 Bagatelles Op.23 (Romance)
Performer: Michael Collins. Performer: Michael McHale.- BIS.
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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Miserere mei (originally Kyrie) K.90
Ensemble: Pygmalion. Conductor: Raphaël Pichon.- Mozart: Requiem.
- harmonia mundi.
- 103.
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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Requiem in D Minor K.626 (Requiem aeternam)
Ensemble: Pygmalion. Conductor: Raphaël Pichon.- Mozart: Requiem.
- harmonia mundi.
- 104.
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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Requiem in D Minor K.626 (Kyrie eleison)
Ensemble: Pygmalion. Conductor: Raphaël Pichon.- Mozart: Requiem.
- harmonia mundi.
- 105.
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