LSO LS 0733

Brahms: Symphonies Nos 1 and 2; ‘Haydn’ Variations; Tragische Ouvertüre – London Symphony Orchestra, Valery Gergiev

Valery Gergiev begins his Brahms cycle with recordings of the first two symphonies, Tragische Ouvertüre and ‘Haydn’ Variations. The performance and recording of Brahms’s symphonies was a new departure for Gergiev, an opportunity he relished with energy and enthusiasm, and his interpretations have been acknowledged as shining new light on these works. He toured the symphonies internationally, among others to the Edinburgh International Festival in 2012.

The ‘Haydn’ Variations was Brahms’s first orchestral work and the first set of independent variations for orchestra by any composer. Brahms’s epic First Symphony, a work of dignity and grandeur, was ecstatically received at its premiere in 1876, and Brahms was soon heralded as one of the great symphonic masters. His Second Symphony, with its joyful melodies and pastoral beauty, is governed by a more relaxed tone than its predecessor. The Tragische Ouvertüre, on the other hand, is turbulent and tormented, possessed of a powerful and magnificent energy.