Karajan conducts Brahms as if he were conducting Mozart. In the process, he elicits great beauty from the Berlin Philharmonic, their slow movements sounding autumnal and burnished by sadness, heartbreaking but never self-indulgent. The Second symphony is profound and tragic, yet never yielding its mellow loveliness. The Third symphony is more ephemeral, quicksilver and slightly elfin in quality. The Fourth symphony wraps itself in the weightiness of the Bach derived eight bar passacaglia, whose variations construct the final movement. All the while, Brahms is looking back at a vanished world, the symphony's musical notes sounding like the soft whisper of ghosts. These are powerfully atmospheric performances, with lovely orchestral colors and a paradoxically calm yet urgent expressiveness. This was von Karajan at the height of his powers.
The two DVDs last for 161 minutes. The picture is digitally remastered, the sound in PCM stereo and DTS 5.1 crisp and clear. The films are quite well done, utilizing concert footage as well as discrete studio closeups. Karajan's Brahms performances are exemplary and are most strongly recommended.