Robin Ticciati & SCO - Brahms: The Symphonies - Hi-Fi News

When Charles Mackerras recorded these works for Telarc with the SCO in 1997 (Usher Hall too) it was argued that performances in Meiningen, at the end of the 19th century, had a scale the composer would have approved. But mostly we listen to recordings with the Berlin, London or Vienna orchestra and some mental adjustment is necessary here. Less than you expect, however, especially in the finales of Nos 3 and 4. Ticciati has prepared this cycle as his final SCO project, and these are highly intelligent readings, finely engineered. Perhaps some breadth is missing - eg, in 2(iii) -but a valuable cycle nonetheless.