Otto Klemperer’s Brahms cycle is one of the two or three best ever recorded, and there isn’t a dud in the lot, though this performance of the Fourth always has attracted a certain amount of controversy owing to its swift slow movement and a few other quirky touches. It is, in short, a reading full of personality, played to the hilt, and very well recorded for its day. The sound on this reissue has come up very well, and the two Schumann overtures make a welcome filler. Klemperer’s Brahms belongs in the collection of anyone who cares about these symphonies—and who doesn’t?
