RECORDING OF THE MONTH RECORDING OF THE MONTH BARGAIN OF THE MONTH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS A London Symphony Oboe Concerto £11 post free World-wide RACHMANINOV Elegy, Preludes, Piano concerto 3 £12 post free World-wide CHAUSSON, DEBUSSY RACHMANINOV TRios 2CDs £16 post free World-wide

	Johannes BRAHMS (1833-1897) Four Hand Piano Music, Vol. 8 Symphony No. 4 in E minor Op. 98 [40.22] Tragic Overture Op. 81 [13.54] Silke-Thora Matthies; Christian Köhn (pianos) Recorded at the Clara Wieck Auditorium, Sandhausen, Germany, September 1996 NAXOS 8.554117 [54.16]
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Piano arrangements and transcriptions were extremely popular in the 19th century. These included lavish fantasias on operatic and orchestral works made by famous pianists, such as Liszt and Thalberg, in order to display their phenomenal technique. The obvious intention was to make both the artists and the compositions themselves more accessible to a wider musical public. Equally obvious is the reason why the enthusiasm for piano versions of symphonic and vocal works declined: the improvements made during the 20th century in sound recording. Nowadays it may well be curiosity that prompts us to listen to them. Both works on this disc present special problems for the listener as well as the players Brahms made a number of transcriptions of his orchestral and vocal works for two pianos, of which these two may well be the most technically daunting, and though the brilliant orchestration is missing, neither can be dismissed as ‘Hamlet without the Prince’. The majestic outlines of the Symphony are subtly preserved, and the Tragic Overture retains its power and drama. One can but admire the skill of the transcription and the subtlety of the pianists who play it, but a feeling of loss for the originals is unavoidable. Needless to say Brahms was fully equal to the task of arranging his own music, but it is doubtful whether, had he been able to hear present-day orchestral recordings, he would have bothered. Roy Brewer Advertising Rates Visitor stats MusicWeb International has over 40,000 Classical CD reviews on offer Discs received Having a problem Donating? Gerard Hoffnung Concerts & The Bricklayer Story MusicWeb can now offer you discs from the following catalogues: Prices include postage There will be NO VAT Rises [Acte Préalable £13.50] [Arcodiva £12.00] [Avie from £6.25] [British Music Society £12.00] [CDACCORD from £13.50 ] [ClassicO £12.50] [Hallé from £11] [Heritage £10] [Hortus £14.99 ] [Lyrita ONLY £11.75 ] [Nimbus Special prices] [Northern Flowers £13.50] [REDCLIFFE £11 ] [Sheva £11] [Tactus £11.50 ] [Talent from £12.00 ] [Toccata Classics £10.50 ] Musicweb Special Offers Monthly Best Buys   New Releases New Releases   MusicWeb sells the Polish catalogue CDAccord £10.50 post free W-W MusicWeb sells the Arcodiva catalogue £12.00 post free W-W £11.75 post-free world- wide     Google Ads - for information about privacy matters, click here.  Amazon Musicweb International is a participant in the Amazon EU Associates Programme, an affiliate advertising programme designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com

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