Brahms Double Concerto

I have no idea if there's anyone out there who enjoys this piece but please let me know your opinions.

I must admit I hadn't listened to it before this week when I had the opportunity to attend to a couple rehearsals of an orchestra which was playing it last thursday and friday.
The third movement keeps playing in my head since wednesday, probably because it was the first one to be played and they did so with great energy.

The maestro was a young man (25 years old) who is told to be very promissing and I did like his energy and expressiveness. Have you ever heard of Gustavo Dudamel?

The soloists... well, I know many people don't like them, usually/mainly the ones who have a tendency to ancient music... The violinist was Pinchas Zukerman and the cellist his wife, Amanda Forsyth. I loved the way she played. Her cello (a Carlo Testore from 1699) had an absolutely amazing sound, very deep and rich, specially in the lower strings.

I haven't developed the capacity to discern the subtleties of cello sound when recorded so, having to refrain my preferences to my experiences at live concerts (no, I haven't heard that many cellists live but I sure was attentive when I did), I dare to say it was the most lovely cello sound I ever listened to.

Anyway, what I wanted to focus is the fact that I've been browsing through amazon (and listening to excerpts of the third movement) and haven't yet found one that pleases me as much as the live version I listened to last week. It was fast, lively and with what I'd call a consistent richness of sound.

Any personal experiences/opinions you'd like to share about this concert or the musicians I referred to? Even if negative ones!

Joana

P.S.: On an anecdotal level, when Forsyth was playing Bruch's Kol Nidrei during the rehearsal, Zukerman sat next to a young lady (twentyish) on the second violins to play with the orchestra (just to have fun, of course). Even at a distance it was clear how blushed she was.

 

Mmmmm, excellent choice sir . The Brahms would be in my top five all-time favourite works. The standard recommendation is the classic Oistrakh / Rostropovich account on EMI Great Recordings of the Century, which is very good, but to be honest there's any number of excellent versions out there. ISTR hearing a terrific new-ish version on DG fairly recently with Shaham and Abbado (can't remember the cellist I'm afraid), which I've always meant to follow up and have never got round to.

 

Oistrach and Fournier floats my boat

 

Of the four recordings I've got (its one of my favourites too) it the Abbado/Gil Shaham/can't remember the name of the Chinese or Korean Cellist but he's very good with the Berlin Phil that is the one I listen too as first choice.

I saw it performed a few years ago with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, same Cellist, a violinist I can't remember (terrrible for names) and Paavo Berglund conducting.... that was superb too.

This piece always makes me wonder what a cello concerto or another symphony by Brahms might have been like.

 

Yes, Oistrakh/Fournier or Stern/Rose.