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Reviews: Brahms: Symphony No. 4 - Haitink

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Reviews: 2

Review by tream June 9, 2005 (13 of 16 found this review helpful)
Performance:   Sonics:  
This release is a disappointment, both for the performance and the sound. Haitink leads an OK, middle of the road interpretation without much drama or passion and the sound is dry, even tending towards strident. The soundstage is very wide and about a centimeter deep (it almost sounds like the entire orchestra is lined up straight across the stage)-the good news is that none of the instruments are covered by the others, so there is a clarity to the sound. I'm not sure why this was released. Listened to in multichannel only. This was my first exposure to the LSO Live label-I'm looking forward to hearing others that hopefully are far superior.

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Review by Edvin April 16, 2006 (8 of 10 found this review helpful)
Performance:   Sonics:  
Turn the volume up and you are in the concert hall. The timpani twacks can almost be felt in your stomach, you can almost touch the brass. The listener is placed in front which means that there is an immediacy and closeness that does Brahms more favours than the opposite. Never before have so many details been heard in a recording of this symphony whilst maintaining an overall image. The orchestra is palpitable and so impressive in every way.

On my system the strings sound big, beefy and warm, nothing else.

Haitink has recorded this twice before but neither of them matches this. It is on another level altogether with an intensity and passion of a rejuvinated man. All the movements are perfectly timed with a blistering scherzo - loads of energy. This is a great, truly great performance from a conductor who seems to be experiencing something like an indian summer, not that he´s that old. The partnership with LSO is perfect and I wish that LSO Live would issue nos 1 & 2 on SACD as well. In comparison Bychkov is diet Brahms. I wonder how Haitink/LSO/Bruckner would sound...? His RCO Live 8 was rather dull.

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