London Symphony Orchestra & Haitink Symphonies 1-4 Super-Audio CD

The London Symphony Orchestra's cycle of Brahms symphonies was Bernard Haitink's first set of recordings on the LSO Live label, originally released individually throughout 2004-05, and then as a boxed set in 2005. This collection of remastered recordings is now available on SACD, and digitally in spatial audio. Bernard Haitink's revelatory Brahms recordings with the LSO have demonstrated why fresh new interpretations of his major works are so important, and why the composer's music is still so relevant today. After struggling for years to come to terms with his fear of comparison to Beethoven, Brahms finally completed his First Symphony at the age of 43. It was hailed as a triumph and the remaining three symphonies followed relatively easily. His Symphony No.2 overflows with a relaxed, pastoral beauty, while the Third Symphony contains some of the most dramatic music Brahms was to compose. Finally, loaded with German Romanticism and including variations on a Bach cantata, Brahms' final symphony is a remarkable example of his mastery of symphonic composition. A rich, warm work that builds on a sense of movement and intensity right up to the final bars. Along with the symphonies, this release also includes Brahms' Double Concerto, Tragic Overture and Serenade No.2.

1. Disc 1: Brahms: Symphony No.1 in C Minor, Op.68: I. Un poco sostenuto - Allegro 2. Brahms: Symphony No.1 in C Minor, Op.68: II. Andante sostenuto 3. Brahms: Symphony No.1 in C Minor, Op.68: III. Un poco allegretto e grazioso 4. Brahms: Symphony No.1 in C Minor, Op.68: IV. Adagio - Pi? andante - Allegro non troppo, ma con brio - Pi? allegro 5. Brahms: Tragic Overture, Op. 81: Tragic Overture, Op.81 6. Brahms: Concerto for Violin and Cello in A Minor, Op.102, "Double Concerto": I. Allegro 7. Brahms: Concerto for Violin and Cello in A Minor, Op.102, "Double Concerto": II. Andante 8. Brahms: Concerto for Violin and Cello in A Minor, Op.102, "Double Concerto": III. Vivace non troppo 9. Brahms: Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.73: I. Allegro non troppo 10. Brahms: Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.73: II. Adagio non troppo 11. Brahms: Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.73: III. Allegretto grazioso (quasi andantino) 12. Brahms: Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op.73: IV. Allegro con spirito 13. Brahms: Serenade No.2 in A Major, Op.16: I. Allegro moderato 14. Brahms: Serenade No.2 in A Major, Op.16: II. Scherzo. Vivace - Trio 15. Brahms: Serenade No.2 in A Major, Op.16: III. Adagio non troppo 16. Brahms: Serenade No.2 in A Major, Op.16: IV. Quasi menuetto - Trio 17. Brahms: Serenade No.2 in A Major, Op.16: V. Rondo. Allegro 18. Brahms: Symphony No.3 in F Major, Op.90: I. Allegro con brio 19. Brahms: Symphony No.3 in F Major, Op.90: II. Andante 20. Brahms: Symphony No.3 in F Major, Op.90: III. Poco allegretto 21. Brahms: Symphony No.3 in F Major, Op.90: IV. Allegro - Un poco sostenuto 22. Brahms: Symphony No.4 in E Minor, Op.98: I. Allegro non troppo 23. Brahms: Symphony No.4 in E Minor, Op.98: II. Andante moderato 24. Brahms: Symphony No.4 in E Minor, Op.98: III. Allegro giocoso 25. Brahms: Symphony No.4 in E Minor, Op.98: IV. Allegro energico e passionato