Brahms: Symphony No. 1 (Remastered) Münchner Philharmoniker & Zubin Mehta

• Johannes Brahms (1833 - 1897): Symphony No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 68:
• 1Brahms: Symphony No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 68: I. Un poco sostenuto – Allegro14:21
• 2Brahms: Symphony No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 68: II. Andante sostenuto09:53
• 3Brahms: Symphony No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 68: III. Un poco allegretto e grazioso05:02
• 4Brahms: Symphony No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 68: IV. Adagio – Più andante – Allegro non troppo, ma con brio – Più allegro18:48
• Total Runtime48:04

Info for Brahms: Symphony No. 1 (Remastered)

Zubin Mehta made his debut with the Munich Philharmonic in 1987 - since then he has been an indispensable part of the DNA of the city's orchestra. In particular, in the last years of the Sergiu Celibidache era, when he was unable to attend concerts in Munich or while traveling due to health reasons, Zubin Mehta was a reliable and high-caliber partner of the orchestra. By taking over concerts in Munich at short notice and as part of international tours, he contributed in a way that cannot be adequately appreciated to spreading the attraction and charisma of the Munich Philharmonic and the music city of Munich to the world.

From 1998 to 2006 he worked as General Music Director of the Bavarian State Opera and, together with Sir Peter Jonas, played a key role in shaping the music city of Munich during this era. In 2004, the orchestra appointed Zubin Mehta as its honorary conductor for his services to the Munich Philharmonic. In the history of the orchestra, Zubin Mehta is the first and so far only conductor to be awarded this honorary title.

With the Brahms cycle in January 2024, the Munich Philharmonic and Zubin Mehta are implementing the largest project of their joint collaboration: the performance of all symphonies and instrumental concertos by Johannes Brahms, followed by concerts in Spain and the USA. On the occasion of this artistic high point in the philharmonic relationship with Zubin Mehta and in view of his services to the music city of Munich, the Munich Philharmonic are extremely pleased that Zubin Mehta will receive the "Golden Medal of Honor of the State Capital of Munich". After Hans Knappertsbusch, Fritz Rieger, Eugen Jochum and Sergiu Celibidache, Zubin Mehta is the fifth conductor to receive this award. The "Golden Medal of Honor" will be ceremoniously presented to Zubin Mehta by Mayor Dieter Reiter during a ceremony.

The Story: Although the First Symphony by Johannes Brahms was not premiered until the composer was middle-aged, its genesis dates from 1854, when he was only 21. That was a time of emotional turmoil for Brahms, the year his friend and mentor, Robert Schumann, was institutionalized for the last time. Brahms seems to have been tormented further by his love for Clara Schumann. Musically, the result was passionate, often stormy music that reflected his moods, leading some writers to call this Brahms’s “Storm and Stress Period.” One tempestuous effort of late 1854 was the initial draft of the first movement to the Symphony No.1. Why, then, did Brahms not complete the symphony immediately? And why did he delay 22 years before allowing it to be premiered? The answers are not easy.

One problem was Brahms’s apostolic self-image and self-effacing, perfectionist attitude. These often caused him to hold back for many years works with which he was not entirely satisfied. Apparently, a significant problem with the symphony was reconciling later movements with the stormy, passionate opening movement. In any case, after the not altogether successful premiere of the Piano Concerto No.1 (1859), Brahms released no major orchestral works until the Variations on a Theme of Haydn (1873). By that time, the First Symphony had already been completed except for its slow movement and sostenuto introduction.

Another issue was Brahms’s classicism. At the time, audiences were conditioned to expect free-spirited “programmatic” symphonies (pictorial, scenic, or story-telling). Brahms was an anomaly. He employed objective, classic forms and musical textures quite strictly, showing his reverence for Haydn, Mozart, Schubert, and Beethoven. Therefore, comparisons between his symphony and those of the earlier Viennese masters were sure to be made, and that caused Brahms to be hesitant. When he finally overcame all these misgivings, the symphony premiered in 1876 with considerable success. Public acceptance as a symphonic composer gave him the confidence he needed for a period of intense orchestral/concerto writing that continued for another 14 years.

Predictably, the First Symphony of Brahms was compared with Beethoven’s symphonies, especially the Ninth. The Brahms work was long, and, as the composer put it, “Any donkey” could see the resemblance between the hymn-like melody of the fourth movement and Beethoven’s setting of the “Ode to Joy.” (Soon after the premiere, Brahms’s First Symphony became nicknamed “Beethoven’s Tenth.”)

The themes of those outer movements is pure Brahms. The composer balances the stormy passion of the opening by making the fourth movement’s slow introduction equally intense. However, the themes of those outer movements and their treatment are noble and heroic. By contrast, the inner movements are almost serenade-like with their sweet lyricism. The violin solo near the end of the second movement is especially noteworthy in this regard. The congenial third movement is a fine example of Brahms’s tendency (learned from Schumann) of replacing the classic, traditional quick scherzo with a sweet, congenial “intermezzo” of moderate speed.

Unlike Brahms’s later symphonies, the First was exploratory. Yet, perhaps because it evolved slowly, this symphony has a unique and masterful expression that accords it a special place among his orchestral works.

Münchner Philharmoniker
Zubin Mehta, conductor

Digitally remastered

Valery Gergiev
Born in Moscow, Valery Gergiev initially studied conducting under Ilya Musin at the Leningrad Conservatory. While still a student, he won the Herbert von Karajan conducting competition in Berlin. In 1978, aged 24, Valery Gergiev became assistant conductor of Yuri Temirkanov at the Mariinsky Opera, where he made his debut conducting Sergei Prokofiev’s adaptation of Tolstoy’s »War and Peace«. More than two decades ago, he assumed his current position as director of the legendary Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, which has since become a cornerstone of operatic culture in Russia.

Valery Gergiev’s close cooperation with the Munich Philharmonic began in the 2011-12 season. Since then, he has performed all symphonies by Dmitri Shostakovich and a cycle of works by Igor Stravinsky with both the Philharmonic and the Mariinsky Orchestra. Since the 2015-16 season, Valery Gergiev is chief conductor of the Munich Philharmonic. As »Maestro der Stadt« (The City’s Maestro) he reaches out to Munich concert audiences with subscription concerts and performances for young people, public final rehearsals, an open-air concert series on Odeonsplatz, and the »MPHIL 360°«-festival, while reaching an international audience with regular live streams and television broadcasts from the Philharmonie im Gasteig.

In September 2016, the first CD recordings under the orchestra’s own label »MPHIL« and which document the conductor’s work with the Munich Philharmonic were released. Further recordings focussing on Anton Bruckner’s symphonies, are in preparation. Travels with Valery Gergiev have taken the Munich Philharmonic to numerous European cities as well as Japan, China, Korea and Taiwan.

Münchner Philharmoniker Kammerorchester
A festive concert in 1988 on the occasion of the 75th birthday of Benjamin Britten which took place in the Great Concert Hall of the Munich University of Music is today regarded as the birth of the Munich Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra. The top-class ensemble comprises members of the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra and has subsequently been able to maintain its place not only at home but has also achieved an excellent reputation during numerous guest performances throughout Germany and other parts of Europe.

For a magnificent concert at the Baroque Evening Festival in Varazdin, one of the most significant concert events in Croatia, the orchestra was awarded the First Prize and thus laid the foundation stone for its further success.

Ever since, the Munich Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra has held regular concerts throughout Germany and abroad and made tremendously successful debut performances at renowned festivals, such as Schwetzingen, Belgrade, Brescia and Santander.

In the summer of 2004 the First Concertmaster of the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, Lorenz Nasturica-Herschcowici, became the overall artistic director of the Munich Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra. Two eminent concerts featuring the world-famous pianist Hélène Grimaud under the direction of Lorenz Nasturica-Herschcowici as Concertmaster in March 2007 in the Munich Philharmonic Hall and in Stuttgart’s Liederhalle presenting piano concerts by Robert Schumann and Ludwig van Beethoven confirmed the exceptional reputation of this orchestra.

In July of 2008 the ensemble gave two acclaimed concerts featuring Anne-Sophie Mutter and Nikolaj Znaider to an audience of several thousand listeners at the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern festivals.

Sold-out concerts in the fall of 2009 during the prestigious George Enescu Festival in Bucharest and in the Munich Philharmonic Hall together with the emerging German pianist Martin Stadtfeld brought the Munich Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra increasingly into the focus of national and international attention. In 2012 the successful cooperation with Martin Stadtfeld continued during a joint Germany tour which also produced CD recordings for Sony.

In addition to several world premieres, the Munich Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra has presented several remarkable CDs in the course of the years, which also featured works by contemporary artists.

“The enjoyment provided by this evening could not only be linked to Herschcowici but was generally attributable to the outstanding quality of the ensemble which accompanied him: The Munich Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra excelled with a soft, smooth sound as well as through the technical expertise of the individual string players and the musically elaborated interpretation of the presented works.” (SZ newspaper, October 20, 2010)

This album contains no booklet.