Music lovers who have trouble warming to the dense, upholstered sound world of Brahms’ four symphonies will find his two early Serenades unusually tuneful, texturally transparent, and full of whimsy. Although Kurt Masur opts for stricter basic tempos than the greater leeway favored by Mackerras and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, he allows the Gewandhaus musicians plenty of freedom for genial inflection, local color, and relaxed, chamber-like interplay. The first-desk soloists always manage to find a different character for each phrase, even if the prominent solo oboist’s vibrato may seem more appropriate for snake charming. Philips’ 1980-81 recordings were among the label’s last analogue sessions, and the warm, natural, and robust ambience does ideal justice to Brahms’ glorious scoring, particularly in regard to the woodwinds. A positively addictive disc, and a bargain at that.
