Charles Mackerras' marvelous recordings of Brahms' four symphonies with these same forces for Telarc find a logical successor in this delightful release of the two early serenades. These are special works in Brahms' output: carefree, breezy, and charming. The unusual freshness and clarity of their orchestration (the Second Serenade scored without violins) shows that the density of his symphonic sound clearly was a matter of intention rather than accident, or worse, lack of skill. Hearing these loosely constructed, generously tuneful pieces, we can only wonder at the effort Brahms must have made to curb his purely lyrical impulses and discipline his musical thought in such a way as to demonstrate his worthiness as symphonic heir to Beethoven. Mackerras and his players clearly delight in the catchy tunes and colorful scoring, and he leads performances that, while clearly "Romantic" in their freedom of tempo, are scaled to emphasize the music's classical antecedents. Toss in Telarc's outstanding sonics, and the result is simply irresistible. [11/23/1999]

--David Hurwitz