More historic favorites this weekend. Carl Schuricht leads Orchestre National de Radio France in this performance of Brahms Symphony Number 4 from a broadcast concert of March 24, 1959 and preserved for posterity by Radio France Musique.
I understand now why some collectors of Classical Music don’t venture too much past the early 1980s for favorite recordings. The amount of memorable performances is massive – even more so now, as vault doors are opening and these precious recordings are seeing the light of day, in some cases for the first time since they were recorded.
I know there is a goodly amount of nostalgia involved, but more importantly; listening to the wide ranging points of view towards even the most familiar of pieces is truly a revelation – there was a time when having a point of view towards a piece of music was more important than the technical ability surrounding that piece of music itself – certainly was true in the area of instrumental pieces. Listening to some of the benchmark pianists of the 1930s and 1940s you hear a LOT of skipped notes, slurred phrases, wrong notes – but what made up for it was a dedication, an almost spiritual connection with the music itself. Turning even the most familiar of pieces into a transcendental experience.
The difference, to me, between Classical and Jazz is; Classical is the point of view taken with how each note is viewed and Jazz is the point of view taken between the notes. With Classical you have restrictions; the “music as written” edict that forms the basis – where with Jazz it’s the notes too, but what goes on around them and between them is where the magic occurs.
All that said – listening to Carl Schuricht can be an enriching experience – listening to French Orchestras from this period can be a revelation – and all of this is a matter of taste. Everyone has their favorites and this is what makes the experience the lifelong adventure that Music is.
You may or may not like this particularly performance of Brahms 4th – there are lot to choose from and even though they may all seem to be the same, they are all different. That’s what makes listening to music fun and why some of it can raise the hairs on your arms.
Press Play and give a listen and see where it takes you. It’s 38 minutes from 1959 and you can go anywhere.
Enjoy.
