Credits:

Brahms (1833-1897)

Description:

This box set collects all of the Brahms performances by Hans Rothbout (1895-1962) for the Southwest German Broadcasting Company. The Piano Concerto No. 1 with Gieseking was previously released on LP record in the 1960s, but many other recordings have never been released officially. The December 1962 recording of Symphony No. 2 (on DISC 2) was also his second-to-last recording; the master died later that year on December 29. Brahms, along with Mozart, was an important composer for Rothbout. He recorded all four symphonies for the Southwest German Radio, and made two different recordings of the first and third symphonies. The first recording focuses on the finer points of the form, with a highly transparent score that enhances the counterpoint structure, while the later recording is a more compact version of the entire work. The sound is very easy to listen to, even in mono. Naxos Japan