Johannes Brahms Symphony No. 2

Brahms - Symphony No.2

On a number of previous recordings, the xl-odd members of the Swedish Bedroom Orchestra and Thomas Dausgaard take shed a new light on the Romantic symphonic repertoire, with performances described as 'tight', 'invigorating', 'transparent' and 'thrilling'. Complete cycles of the symphonies of Schumann and Schubert take appeared&&& alongside individual discs with music past Dvořák, Bruckner and Tchaikovsky, likewise every bit a recording of Johannes Brahms'due south First Symphony, released in 2012. The disc was named Recommendation of the Month in the German magazine Fono Forum, while the reviewer in International Tape Review described information technology as 'an account to make i hope a complete traversal is in the offing'. Five years later that promise is nearing fulfilment, equally the squad's recording of Symphony No. 2 is released. Composed during the summertime of 1877, which Brahms spent at the idyllic Wörthersee, it is 1 of his sunniest works, often compared to Beethoven's Pastoral symphony. It's followed by the Haydn Variations, in which Brahms was able to combine one of his favourite musical forms – that of theme and variations – with his deep admiration for Joseph Haydn. (Fortunately, the discovery that the theme in question, known as the 'St Antoni Chorale', wasn't by Haydn after all was made long afterwards Brahms'southward death.)

The plan continues with other favourites in Brahms's production, including his greatest commercial success in the form of 3 of the hugely popular fix of Hungarian Dances for piano, hither in orchestrations by Thomas Dausgaard. The disc ends in similarly high spirits, with the Academic Festival Overture and its rousing and celebrating C major coda.