Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Tragic Overture in D minor, Op 81 (1880)
Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op 68 (1876)
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra / Kirill Petrenko
rec. live, 14-16 February, 2024 (overture); 17-19 September 2025 (symphony), Philharmonie, Berlin
Berliner Philharmoniker BPHR250561 [57]

The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra’s association with the music of Brahms goes back to its very earliest days. One interesting feature of all the releases on the orchestra’s own label is that they always include in the documentation the dates both of the first performance of the work(s) concerned and, where different, the date of the BPO’s first performance. It was thanks to the provision of this information that I learned that the orchestra’s first performance of the Tragic Overture was given on 8 October 1882. That was the year of the orchestra’s foundation and at that time they were still known by their original name, Ehemalige Bilsesche Kapelle (Former Bilse’s Ensemble); the name was changed to Berliner Philharmoniker later that year, I believe. They first performed the C minor symphony in 1885. Here we have very recent performances in which the orchestra is conducted by their current Chief Conductor, Kirill Petrenko.

Their programme begins with an account of the Tragic Overture which promises much. In the fast music with which the piece opens and closes, the music-making is trenchant and suitably intense. The slower central section is very well done; there’s no let-up in the underlying tension, which means that the lead back to the opening material works very well. This strong performance of the overture sets the scene very appropriately for the symphony.

Petrenko begins the First Symphony auspiciously; the opening of the Un poco sostenuto introduction, underpinned by pounding timpani, is big and imposing. Yet, this does not mean the performance is in any way overweight; on the contrary, there’s good momentum. I like the palpable tension that Petrenko brings to the introduction as a whole. The Allegro surges in an athletic, dramatic fashion (from 2:42). The bass end of the orchestra has a very welcome firmness to its sound, yet in no way does this compromise the abundant energy of the performance. I’m sure it helps that Petrenko has his cellos and violas in the centre of the orchestra; this gives a super inner foundation to the ensemble and it also means we can appreciate the effect of divisi violins. I greatly admired this bracing reading. Moving on to the Andante sostenuto movement, I was struck again by the tonal richness of the orchestral sound. Petrenko paces the music very well indeed, achieving a pleasing flow. From 6:15, as the movement progresses to its serene conclusion, there are very lovely contributions from the solo violin and principal horn.

The third movement is marked Un poco Allegretto e grazioso and it seems to me that Petrenko and his players deliver just the sort of fluid and fleet performance that this marking suggests. Hereabouts, the woodwind section collectively produces a great deal of delightful playing. The finale is taken attacca. In the lengthy introduction there is, arguably, even more tension than was apparent in the first movement introduction. The famous horn solo (from 2:47) rings out gloriously and in a commanding fashion; is this the work of Stefan Dohr, I wonder? In the pages that follow, the Berlin Philharmonic invest the music with plenty of tonal weight, yet this weight is never excessive. The big tune strides purposely forward (from 4:50) and then the music takes wing at 5:52; from here, the playing is tremendously dynamic and I really like the energy and fire of the performance. Petrenko builds the excitement as the movement progresses towards its conclusion. When the chorale arrives (15:00) he doesn’t slam on the brakes as some conductors do; instead, there’s just a slight broadening of the tempo, which is all that the music needs at this point to make its impact. After this, the symphony is brought to an exciting and emphatic conclusion.

This is a terrific account of the Brahms First Symphony. I enjoyed the way Petrenko plays it; for me, he doesn’t put a foot wrong. The playing is simply marvellous. Goodness knows how often this orchestra has played the work, yet there’s no hint of routine; the conductor and orchestra bring the music vividly to life. It’s great to hear such a staple of the repertoire played so magnificently by a world-class orchestra led by a conductor with whom they have an evident rapport. Happily, this wonderful playing is conveyed to us in outstandingly good CD sound, as we have come to expect from recordings on the orchestra’s in-house label.

Most of the releases on this label which have come my way have been lavish multi-disc sets. It’s unusual in my experience to receive a single disc. But just as the quality of the performances is entirely in line with the previous releases I’ve heard, so too the label hasn’t stinted on the production values for this single-disc release. The disc is housed in a sturdy hardback cover which contains a booklet – though such a term seems ungenerous – which runs to 88 pages. This includes a generous number of colour photographs of the performers as well as a good selection of historical images in black and white or sepia; these old images are both relevant and most interesting. There’s a useful short essay about the symphony by Peter Gülke. But the key feature of the documentation is an extended, absorbing essay by Maren Goltz entitled ‘Brahms tradition(s) between Meiningen and Berlin. Musical cultural transfer as a model of success: the Meiningen Court Orchestra and the Berliner Philharmoniker’. Goltz discusses how during the long reign of Duke Georg II of Saxe-Meiningen (1826-1914), who became Duke in 1866, the Meiningen Court Orchestra developed. It flourished under a succession of artistic directors, including Hans von Bülow and Fritz Steinbach, doing much to advance the music of Brahms. That much I knew. What I was less aware of was the very demanding, even precarious conditions under which these musicians worked in order to maintain the standards which their employer expected. I was also unaware of the extent to which the orchestra toured within Germany, thereby extending its reputation well beyond the boundaries of the duchy, not least in Berlin. It’s a fascinating read and the essay adds further distinction to this important release.

John Quinn

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