Johannes Brahms:
01. - 04. Symphony No.1 in C minor, op.68 [42'16]
05. - 08. Symphony No.3 in F major, op.90 [36'47]
09. - 12. Symphony No.2 in D major, op.73 [39'02]
13. - 16. Symphony No.4 in E minor, op.98 [38'55]
West Australian Symphony Orchestra conducted by Asher Fisch
ABC Classics 481 4413 [recorded in concert August 2015; CD issued 2016]
[digital download; flacs, cover and inlay scans, no booklet]
Recording venue: Perth Concert HallRecording engineer: Gavin Fernie; Producer: Haig Burnell
Born in Israel, Asher Fisch began his conducting career as assistant to Daniel Barenboim and has had a long association with the West Australian Symphony. He first conducted them in 1999 and became chief conductor from 2014. He is probably best known for his performances and recordings of Wagner operas with the South Australian, West Australian and Seattle Opera Companies.
I fell in love with this set of the Brahms Symphonies on first hearing it and it has become my firm favourite ever since. For me, the lean sound of the West Australian Symphony is just right - not too small a number of players and just the right amount of vibrato. If you seek the deep sheen of the Philadelphia strings or the brazen Chicago Symphony brass then this is probably not for you.
Although recorded in concert, there is virtually no audience noise until the applause at the end of each work and orchestral balance and clarity is excellent. And although the overall performance of Symphony No.2 is a stand out, if it bothers you, be aware that the exposition repeat in the first movement is omitted.
The covers of the WASO Live series are endowed with fine photos of West Australian landscapes. Here we have the Perth riverfront and the excellent companion disc of the Bruckner Eighth Symphony (too recent to be posted here, unfortunately) has an equally fine photo of Pinnacle Desert.