Brahms is often considered both a traditionalist and an innovator. His music is firmly rooted in the structures and compositional techniques of the Baroque and Classical masters. He was a master of counterpoint, the complex and highly disciplined art for which Johann Sebastian Bach is famous, and of development, a compositional ethos pioneered by Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, and other composers. Brahms aimed to honour the "purity" of these venerable "German" structures and advance them into a Romantic idiom, in the process creating bold new approaches to harmony and melody. Details Orchestra: Berliner Philharmoniker Conductor: Herbert von Karajan Composer: Johannes Brahms Country: Germany Genre: Classical Year: 1998 Label: Deutsche Grammophon Format: CD SPARS Code: DDD Catalogue no: 4530972 More info: External Track listing Symphony No. 1 In C Minor Op.68 / Symphonie Nr. 1 C-Moll Op.68 Symphony No.3 In F Major Op.90 / Symphonie Nr. 3 F-Dur Op.90 Symphony No.2 In D Major Op.73 / Symphonie Nr. 2 D-Dur Op.73 Symphony No.4 In E Minor Op.98 / Symphonie Nr. 4 E-Moll Op. 98 Review The playing of the Berlin Philharmonic remains uniquely cultivated, the ensemble is finely polished, and yet there is no lack of warmth or impetus throughout the set. - The Penguin Guide 3/5
