Johannes Brahms: Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98
James MacMillan: Larghetto for Orchestra

The symphonic music of Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) is peculiar in the sense that it is marked by sporadic inspiration, and tends to be lyrical and expressive one minute, stoic and muscular the next. It is similar to Anton Bruckner's obsessive-compulsive treatment of a single thematic idea, but highly different in the way that Brahms could masterfully manipulate a core motif and extend it through a myriad of dramatic alterations, some obvious and some obscure. Take the first movement of his Symphony No. 4 in E minor for example. The opening mournful motif (two descending notes followed by two ascending notes), highly effective in this account, is a simple idea, but Brahms transforms it through various development phases to the point where around the 11:00 mark, just before the end, it's recapitulation by the brass section is almost epic in nature.

It's a good thing conductor Manfred Honeck keeps a keen eye and firm grasp on all the minor fluctuations along the way, as we could easily be led astray by the ingenious inner workings at play within this music. In the beautiful Andante moderato which follows, Honeck's focus and attention are diverted to the charm of the orchestration. The lush string writing around the 8:00 minute mark, and the many fine moments in which the Pittsburgh woodwind section shines through. The boisterous and ebullient character of the following movement is well projected in this 'live' performance, with special plaudits to the "punchy" brass players, who also do a terrific job within the opening bars of the last movement, as well as bring the whole symphony to an impressive close. Honeck's direction throughout is tight and focused, guiding us through all the thematic beacons along the way.

The Larghetto for Orchestra by Scottish composer James MacMillan (b. 1959) was composed in 2017 on a commission by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra to celebrate the occasion of the tenth anniversary of Manfred Honeck as Music Director. Despite the more than 130 years that stand between it and the Brahms symphony, it blends in well as the extra work on this CD, and is presented here in its world premiere recording. James MacMillan seems to have a predisposition for writing works based on religious subjects, and this one is no exception as it is based on an earlier choral piece of his titled Miserere. The main, recurrent motif seems based on a standard melodic line from the Latin liturgy, and lends the whole work a dark character, by bringing together the reverence of Renaissance Lamentations and the sonic idiom of a 21st century symphony orchestra.

And true to form with Reference Recordings, the audio engineering is top-notch presenting a natural soundscape that well captures the depth and scope of the orchestra.