Kurt Sanderling and the Berlin Symphony Orchestra recorded this digital set of Johannes Brahms' four symphonies, the Haydn Variations, and the Alto Rhapsody in 1990, so it must be clearly distinguished from Sanderling's exceptional analog recordings from the early 1970s, which he made with the Dresden Staatskapelle and which have won many admirers. For many years Sanderling's career in the former Eastern Bloc countries kept him under-represented in western catalogs, though his fine reputation preceded him, thanks to stints ...
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Kurt Sanderling and the Berlin Symphony Orchestra recorded this digital set of Johannes Brahms' four symphonies, the Haydn Variations, and the Alto Rhapsody in 1990, so it must be clearly distinguished from Sanderling's exceptional analog recordings from the early 1970s, which he made with the Dresden Staatskapelle and which have won many admirers. For many years Sanderling's career in the former Eastern Bloc countries kept him under-represented in western catalogs, though his fine reputation preceded him, thanks to stints as a guest conductor and appearances at many European festivals. In performing Brahms, Sanderling's interpretations are traditional, steady, and solid, and might even be considered a bit cautious in this particular case, owing to the abilities of his musicians. (A distinction must be made that this is the Berlin Symphony Orchestra, not the Berlin Philharmonic.) Even so, for the most part the orchestra plays with accuracy and feeling, with only a little scrappiness in spots, and the...
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