This morning, I’m listening to an older recording (perhaps 1962, if the year on the back of the CD sleeve refers to when this was recorded).
The conductor is Heinz Bongartz (1894-1978). The orchestra is Dresdner Philharmonie (1870 – ). The musical work is Brahms’ Serenade No. 1 in D, Op. 11. It was composed in 1858. Brahms was a wee lad of 25.
From its entry on Wikipedia, I learned,
The two Serenades, Op. 11 and 16, represent early efforts by Johannes Brahms to write orchestral music. They both date from after the 1856 death of Robert Schumann when Brahms was residing in Detmold and had access to an orchestra.
Brahms had a goal of reaching Ludwig van Beethoven’s level in writing symphonies, and worked long and hard on his first symphony, completing it only in 1876 when he was 43 years old. As preliminary steps in composing for orchestra, he chose early on to write some lighter orchestral pieces, these Serenades. The second was first sent to Clara Schumann, who was delighted by it.
I also learned from that same entry,
The first performance of the Serenade, in Hanover on 3 March 1860, “did not go very well” in Brahms’s opinion, but evidently the unusually large audience of 1,200 did not notice any mistake during the performance. At the end, applause “persisted until I came out and down in front.” After every piece in the concert “the audience was shouting.”
The Serenade consists of six movements and lasts around 45 minutes, according to Wikipedia. This one, under the direction of Heinz Bongartz, however, lasted nearly 10 minutes longer.
- Allegro molto………………………………………………………………….14:04
- Scherzo. Allegro non troppo – Trio. Poco piu moto………8:14
- Adagio non troppo………………………………………………………….16:50
- Menuetto………………………………………………………………………….3:25
- Scherzo. Allegro……………………………………………………………….3:03
- Rondo. Allegro………………………………………………………………….6:26
Total time: 52:14
My Rating:
Recording quality: 3 (seems a little flat, but not bad for the era)
Overall musicianship: 4 (lively)
CD liner notes: 3 (11-page essay about the life of Brahms, little else)
How does this make me feel: 4 (hooked from the start)
I have a hard time believing somebody as young as 25 can compose something this grand, rich, and fun.
Each of the six movements was entertaining in its own right. The first movement (Allegro molto) often swept me along at breakneck speed, then it would slow to a beautiful melody, pick back up, and whisk me along again, finally tapering off with gentle pizzicato, flute, and strings. This movement features lots of French horn, an instrument I love.
I was also taken by the third movement (Adagio non troppo) because of its use of pizzicato, French horns, and so exciting depth I was on the edge of my seat.
Ditto for the sixth movement (Rondo). Extremely lively. A lot of fun.
The energy of this orchestra is off the charts. They seemed to totally go for it. It’s truly a majestic performance from start to finish. Spectacular.
My only quibble is that the quality of the recording is slightly less than what’s typical from Brilliant Classics. It’s sounds a bit flat, as if some of the top end has been shaved off. Not terribly so. But enough for me to hear (or not hear, as the case may be) it.
I wouldn’t let that stop you, though. Find a contemporary rendering of this fantastic Serenade and compare it to this one. You may find you like this one better. It’s certainly given me a few chills and a lot of joy along the way.
Discovering the grandeur of Brahms’ Serenade No. 1 in D is the reason why I do these music projects.
Two thumbs way up!
If you’d like to experience it for yourself, here’s the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Max Hobart conductor.