Brahms: Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 73

“Brahms Symphony No 2...has clarity and detail but lacks grandeur. Christoph von Dohnányi elicits plaintive tone from the opening horns and balances the parts with care. The romantic surges of the Adagio are well measured and the Scherzo has a dainty charm, but in neither movement is there any sense of awe. The strings lack sheen, the oboe warmth. A second CD includes Symphony No 4 but the story is the same – accuracy, expertise but no real fire.” Sunday Times, 24th August 2008 ***

“[These recordings] are typical Dohnanyi accounts, tough-edged, no-nonsense, massive and unsentimental, but just falling short of the real intensity that makes his best work compelling...And though the orchestral playing is consistently outstanding, there is no sense of occasion or elan.” Andrew Clements, The Guardian, 29th August 2008 ***

“This is music (Symphony No. 3) that refuses to bow to convention and play to the gallery – even to the extent of having all four movements end quietly! It’s notoriously difficult to bring off this work convincingly, yet by negotiating the music’s dramatic contours with complete naturalness, Janowski and his fabulous Pittsburghers create the impression of profound ease and inevitability.” Classic FM Magazine, May 2008 – Orchestral Disc of the Month *****

“Marek Janowski's Brahms is refreshingly balanced and free of eccentricities.” BBC Music Magazine, March 2008 ***

“among the sunniest and most lyrical accounts” The Penguin Guide on Symphony No. 2