On the basis of his showman reputation, Maazel might not seem an obvious choice in this repertoire. But his controlled and controlling way of making music actually suits Brahms well. As Maazel wrote in the programme essay, Brahms works best when conductors avoid rhetorical flourishes and decline to pump up the phrases or dawdle sentimentally. Disciplined drive is the key to Brahms, and that is what Maazel and the Philharmonia delivered.
That approach worked most successfully in the first and fourth symphonies, less happily in the more expansive second. Yet the performances were never less than interesting. The Philharmonia players responded to Maazel's concentrated approach with some superbly disciplined playing, particularly in the lower strings and the woodwind.
Maazel's strict direction was a virtue in the requiem, too, preventing this great work from billowing aimlessly, as it sometimes can. Both the outstanding Simon Keenlyside and, after a faltering start, Heidi Grant Murphy sang their difficult solos with the combination of seriousness and eloquence that is the hallmark of Brahms.
See Also
