Brahms’s First Symphony: Vladimir Ashkenazy Conducts the Sydney Symphony by Andrew Miller

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For the Brahms First Symphony, Ashkenazy used the orchestra's fine clarity to illuminate the ideas in the score, loyally keeping a certain respect for the composer, though his conducting was in no way conservative or overly careful, enough so that it made me wonder again why some people call Brahms 'autumnal.' Perhaps this clarity of playing which articulates each note also allows Ashkenazy the fine control he needs for his well-defined ideas of interpretation which come across to the listener so plainly.

Read the full review on the Berkshire Review, an international journal for the arts!