REFERENCE RECORDINGS® proudly presents an imaginative album of three compositions by Johannes Brahms, in an outstanding interpretation from Michael Stern and the Kansas City Symphony. It features the first recording of American composer and Kansas City native Virgil Thomson’s 1957/8 orchestration of Brahms: Eleven Chorale Preludes for organ, op 122. It also contains composer Bright Sheng’s enchanting orchestration of the Brahms Intermezzo for solo piano, op. 118, No. 2, and the beloved and spectacular Arnold Schoenberg orchestration of the Piano Quartet No. 1 in G Minor, op. 25. "Brahms: Reimagined Orchestrations" was produced by GRAMMY® winner Peter Rutenberg, who has over half a century of experience in the music industry as a producer, composer, director, and teacher. This album was engineered by RR’s esteemed technical team, composed of GRAMMY® winning engineer 'Prof' Keith O. Johnson and multi-GRAMMY® nominated engineer Sean Royce Martin.
REVIEW:
This is an enjoyable and beautifully performed release with some unusual material. What is impressive is that the three works each offer a different approach to the orchestrator’s art. Brahms’ 11 Chorale Preludes, Op. 122 were orchestrated in the 1950s by Virgil Thomson, who was always an eclectic-spirited figure. The entr’acte is Bright Sheng’s Black Swan for orchestra, a version of the Intermezzo in A major for piano, Op. 118, No. 2; despite the retitling, this is the most straightforward of the three orchestrations, although Sheng’s orchestra is quite large. Perhaps the best-known item here, although it is hardly commonplace on orchestral programs, is Arnold Schoenberg’s orchestration of Brahms’ Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor, Op. 25. This is also the most unconventional of the group; it actually sounds as much like Schoenberg as it does like Brahms. Reference Recordings’ sound from Helzberg Hall in Kansas City is clear and detailed, and this is a fascinating look at how composers from various periods have heard the music of Brahms.
