CLASSICAL
Brahms:
• Symphony No. 1, "Schicksalslied" and others; Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique and Monteverdi Choir, John Eliot Gardiner (Soli Deo Gloria).
• Symphony No. 2, "Alto Rhapsody" and others; same forces with Gardiner (Soli Deo Gloria)
Typical of John Eliot Gardiner, he takes on a large new chunk of standard repertoire while casting a beady, revisionist eye toward any sort of received wisdom in his zeal to create performances as historically informed as possible. Although each of these discs has its featured symphony intelligently preceded by smaller related choral works, the symphony performances don't provide that initial rush of rediscovering familiar music performed in unfamiliar ways. Unlike other Gardiner recordings, though, diminishing returns don't set in later. In fact, the stature of these performances grows upon repeated listenings. The relation between the choral and orchestral pieces, which is rarely obvious, continuously unfolds, as do the subtleties of the performances. Smaller in scale, these performances sound like no others and, once heard (like them or not), are likely to be an aural reference point for any Brahms heard thereafter.
DAVID PATRICK STEARNS, PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER
