Featuring Brahms Symphony No.1, this is one of the first CDs of Marin Alsop conducting more "mainstream" canonical classical works released by Naxos. As one of the few female conductors who successfully secured tenure in the top orchestras in the world today, Alsop has been very well received for her Naxos CDs with the interpretation on American symphonic works as well as other lesser well known compositions. Marching into the realm of Brahms, Alsop proved once again her interpretational power with a variety of repertoires.
In one of her interviews upon the release of the CD, Alsop expressed her affinity to the music of Brahms, one of the composers she feels close to her heart.
The Symphony no.1 has a special place in Brahms' works. It is well known that he worked for over ten years before he finally completed it and premiered. (The audience must have given up on hearing his symphony ever, so imagine what they were like when they hear the introduction of the first movement!--taken from Alsop interview) In any case, it is also known as a work looking up to the Beethoven's symphonies, which Brahms admired so much, and to prove wrong the statement of Richard Wagner that no pure instrumental symphonies could possibly be any valuable after Beethoven's ninth.
The overall impression of Alsop's interpretation of Brahms no.1 is her balance and pace--which she indeed intended to deliver (she called at "balance and proportion") and did a good job. The symphony is big and grand--a huge structure, but Alsop's conducting does not feel like it is excessively heavy, and the pace was perfect in forming a natural flow in the unfolding of the structure.
The opening of the first movement is handled with considerable sensitivity on top of the darker color, manifesting the chromatic theme which reappears once and once again throughout the entire four movements. The struggle between the fierce and the calming themes is full of contrast.
Comparing to the long first and last movement, the brief second and third movement were casted a lighter yet sorrow mood. This is in contrast to some other conductors who assign more gravity and dramatic dynamic change to these two movements. It also prepares well for the coming of the fourth movement--an overall design of balance.
The fourth movement hears the triumph of the brighter themes upon various repeat use of the alphorn melody that Brahms originally sent to Clara Schmann on her birthday. The contrast use of this melody is distinctively heard in brass, immediately followed by the flute (and also by the flute later), which signifies a shift to a more triumphant ending of the symphony.
Ms.Alsop is looking at possibly another cycle of standard repertoire with Naxos while continuing her journey with the American composers and less known works in the near future.
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