Even though the workaday appearance of this set might not grab the attention of browsers,
Owain Arwel Hughes' excellent recordings for Quartz of Johannes Brahms' symphonies and orchestral music is one to watch out for, and it's decidedly more appealing than the routine cover photo might suggest. The performances with the
Stuttgart Philharmonic Orchestra are strong on expression and offer warm and elastic playing throughout, and the interpretations partake of the long, hallowed tradition of conducting Brahms, with nothing more radical to surprise experienced listeners than the taking of exposition repeats. Indeed, the dependability and solidity of the music are the chief virtues of
Hughes' versions, and if any recordings could bring a positive consensus on their quality, surely these could. The three-CD package includes the four symphonies, along with the Variations on a Theme by Haydn, the Academic Festival Overture, and the Tragic Overture, so the selections are quite standard and collectors will certainly have encountered the same pieces in other releases. Yet despite the duplication, this is a worthy set to have alongside the great ones by conductors of the past, and good to have for comparing modern renditions according to its high standards.