Witold Rowicki's performances with the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra of Johannes Brahms' Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 73, and the Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98, date from the early 1960s, and their somewhat rough sound quality might warrant putting them in the historical recordings category. But don't be put off by the occasional harshness of the sound in the loudest passages -- the orchestra is actually much less abrasive and quite warm if the volume is slightly reduced, and everything is still perfectly audible at a safe mid-level. Regrettably, there is no similar way to control the tempos, which
Rowicki takes far beyond conventional approaches. In some cases, his conducting is incredibly fast and impatiently paced, with very little slackening of tension or use of rubato to let the music breathe; at other times, his tempos become nearly torpid, with little urgency or impetus. The tendency to rush things along makes the Symphony No. 2 feel harried and breathless throughout, rather than buoyant and joyous. In contrast, the Symphony No. 4 almost falls apart because
Rowicki's beat is unevenly regulated and sometimes falls just short of incoherent. Most listeners are accustomed to evenly controlled performances of these symphonies, and they are likely to find that
Rowicki's choices are idiosyncratic and difficult to understand. However, people who have not formed hard and fast opinions on these symphonies and who enjoy spontaneity may find
Rowicki's quirky tempos interesting and at times breathtaking for their audacious speed.