CD: Brahms – Symphonies Nos. 1 & 2

‘This is a beautifully well played version ...  I don’t think you can beat Vladimir Jurowski. In his hands this movement is so much more than a suite of linked dances: the vitality, the energy, the character are constantly swinging back and forth ... Superbly conceived as a whole, emotionally coherent and compelling, and with a lively awareness of the many, often overlooked, complexities of this seemingly easygoing symphony. The ending is roof-raising, and I’m glad that they left the applause in … after the invigorating coda, I feel like joining in.’
Selected by Stephen Johnson as BBC Radio 3's 'Building a Library' recommendation for Brahms's Symphony No. 2, 1 June 2013

'This pair of budget-priced CDs on the LPO’s own label demonstrate how, in the right hands, the first two symphonies can thrill and delight … exquisite wind playing … genuinely exciting.'
Graham Rickson, The Arts Desk, 22 February 2010

'Conductors, buy this and learn; the rest of us can just enjoy.' *****
BBC Music Magazine Disc of the Month, June 2010

'The Jurowski/LPO marriage abundantly exudes that rare joy in corporate music-making all too seldom encountered in this day and age. I can only wish my fellow music lovers in London the profoundest pleasure at the miracle occurring in their midst'
International Record Review, April 2010

'Free-flowing tempi, long singing lines, a carefully nurtured orchestral sound that’s very pleasing.'
BBC Radio 3's 'CD Review', February 2010

‘The London Philharmonic plays handsomely, and the fine-sounding live recording provides the proverbial “sense of the occasion”. Jurowski’s fresh approach is sure to stimulate the ear and keep listeners interested throughout.’
Victor Carr Jr, Classics Today, September 2014

'A tremendously exciting listen, culminating in a gloriously ebullient final dash for the finish line, blazing in the clarity of its attack.'
Simon Thompson, MusicWeb International, January 2015