And so it begins.
I haven’t undertaken one of my exhaustive music projects in quite awhile.
The last one was in 2018 and it required that I listen to all nine of Beethoven’s symphonies as interpreted by 17 different conductors from 18 different CD box sets (Herbert von Karajan was represented twice).
You can find my exploration of Beethoven’s symphonies here:
162 Days With Beethoven And Me
(I loved that Beethoven project so much I’ve been considering creating a second leg that incorporates even more conductors and orchestras. I may do that eventually.)
Before the Beethoven project (this would be 2016-2017), I listened to the most famous of Anton Bruckner’s 11 symphonies (Symphonies 1-9) over the course of 207 days, in two legs:
144 Days With Bruckner And Me
63 More Days With Bruckner And Me
Because of my project, I discovered that Bruckner’s symphonies are sublime, infused with such a palpable spirituality that I felt ushered into the presence of God because of Mr. Bruckner’s genius.
Also, I discovered that Bruckner is in the Top Three of my all-time favorite composers, with Mozart and Beethoven occupying that rarefied spot along with him. (By the way, their music affects me in different ways. Mozart, for example, affects my mind. I take in his music intellectually. Beethoven, on the other hand, affects my heart. To me, he is pure emotion. And Bruckner, as I mentioned earlier, touches my spirit.)
I thought of returning to my music projects again, but life got busy and I got less disciplined. It got harder for me to arise at 5:40am so that I could be at a local restaurant by 6:00 every day.
Now that the world is in quarantine from the COVID-19 virus, and I’m stuck at home here in Michigan under stay-at-orders from our governor, I thought now would be the perfect time to begin again.
And so I shall.
This is Day 1 of a 58-day project in which I listen to the Brahms Complete Edition from Brilliant Classics, one of my favorite record labels.
For the rest of the subjects in my year-long project, see the My Year-Long Project page.
Let’s get started, shall we?
First, the basics:
This morning I am listening to Symphony No. 1 in C minor Op. 68 as performed by Jaap van Zweden (1960 – ) and the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra (1985 – ). It was recorded June-August, 2002, in Beurs van Berlage, Amsterdam.
As I’m listening, this is what I’m seeing. Mug of coffee (Breakfast Blend) nearest to me. Essential!
Johanness Brahms was born in the year 1833 and he died in 1897, which means he was only 64 years old. According to one site I read, he had cancer. Also, I read somewhere that he was a perfectionist, which probably accounts for why Brahms only wrote four symphonies. That’s unfortunate because I usually like a composer’s symphonies most of all.
However, this is the point of these projects – to explore the works from every major composer and, God willing, to discover musical gems that rock my soul.
Regarding Brahms’ Symphony No. 1, according to its entry on Wikipedia,
Brahms spent at least fourteen years completing this work, whose sketches date from 1854. Brahms himself declared that the symphony, from sketches to finishing touches, took 21 years, from 1855 to 1876. The premiere of this symphony, conducted by the composer’s friend Felix Otto Dessoff, occurred on 4 November 1876, in Karlsruhe, then in the Grand Duchy of Baden. A typical performance lasts between 45 and 50 minutes.
Gee, whiz. No wonder Brahms only wrote four symphonies! He started this one when he was 22 and didn’t finish until he was 43.
Brahms wrote his symphonies in four movements. The time breakdown of this one (Symphony No. 1 in C minor), from this particular conductor (Jaap) and this particular orchestra (Netherlands Philharmonic) is as follows:
- Un poco sostenuto – Allegro – Meno allegro……………………….12.34
- Andante sostenuto…………………………………………………………………..8.21
- Un poco allegretto e grazioso…………………………………………………4.47
- Adagio – Più andante – Allegro non troppo, ma con brio – Più allegro…………………………………………………………………………………….17.13
Total running time: 43.08
My Rating:
Recording quality: 4 (typically superb Brilliant Classics quality)
Overall musicianship: 5 (extremely well done)
CD liner notes: 3 (11-page essay about the life of Brahms, little else)
How does this make me feel: 4 (it’ll take me awhile to get used to Brahms)
I had to listen to this 3-4 times to really get a feel for it.
When I first heard it, I wasn’t particularly moved. I found it inaccessible. By the second or third time, I started to feel what I often do listening to masterful works: awe. I began to take it all in, feel its power…and realize the talent required to write it. That’s when it began to excite me. So I listened again.
This recording is energetic and well recorded, both of which are typical for releases on the Brilliant Classics label.
If you’re looking for in-depth liner notes, however, you’ll be sorely disappointed. Aside from a sweeping, life-encompassing essay by Jorge Rothkamm, the key information for each recording is only found on the CD sleeves – and that only in its most basic form: when and where it was recorded, who the conductor was and which orchestra it was. A sentence at the bottom of the booklet tells us:
Extensive liner notes and sung texts available at www.brilliantclassics.com
However, there’s no mention of the Brahms Complete set on the Brilliant Classics web site, and no way to find “extensive liner notes” for this set.
I truly dislike the lack of follow-though on matters such as this. I should not have to spend a half hour looking through a web site, trying to find the promised “extensive liner notes.” Brilliant Classics should have created a unique URL for this item, something like this:
brilliantclassics.com/brahmscomplete
There, one could find everything, instantly, associated with this box set.
If I worked for Brilliant Classics (and I don’t, honest), I’d take a look at the web site from the eyes of a customer. Outside-in thinking, I used to call it back in my Advertising/Marketing days.
Anyway, I found myself enjoying Brahm’s Symphony No. 1 in C minor. I didn’t hear anything earth shattering in it. Nothing I remembered the rest of the day. But I couldn’t write such a composition.
I was pleased to hear that Brahms utilized one of my favorite techniques (“pizzicato”) in Movement IV. For some reason, pizzicato makes me smile. It always sounds like cartoon characters sneaking up on one another.
One thumb up.