Brahms, Johannes - Symphonies Nos. 1 & 3 - Mehta, Zubin

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Israel Philharmonic Orchestra
Zubin Mehta, conductor

Johannes Brahms is one of Maestro Zubin Mehta's favourite composers. During the 50 years that he has been the Music Director of the IPO, Mehta has conducted many hundreds of performances of Brahms' symphonies and concerti. During the 80's, Zubin Mehta made studio recordings with the IPO of the four Brahms symphonies Sony. These recordings were released to mediocre reviews from some of the music critics. The performances of Symphonies 1 & 3 presented on this CD were recorded "in concert" in 2009 - and that's another story..... The orchestra sounds warm, and the performances are alive with the beauty of the music. The third movement of Symphony No 3 tugs at the heartstrings thanks to the playing of the playing of the horns and the warmth of the string section. The tempo that Maestro Mehta chose for both symphonies feel "just right" - not too fast in the outer movements, and not to sluggish or drawn out in the slower sections.