Siegfried Köhler - Gernsheim: Symphonies Nos. 1-4 (1999)

Listeners should not come to these symphonies expecting works worthy of Brahms, Mendelssohn and Schumann. They lack the melodic inspiration of these composers and the ingenuity of development and form of Schumann and Brahms. Having noted this, they are still fine symphonies, worth an occasional listen. The orchestration is very similar in places to Brahms, so that if you're not listening very closely, you might think actually think you're hearing an obscure Brahms orchestral piece, perhaps a discarded movement from the First Serenade. What they lack, besides the raw melodic inspiration, is the depth of expression and the entirely successful symphonic climax. Even when he comes up with an attractive tune (and there are several such tunes in these symphonies, particularly in the finales), he is not particularly inventive when it comes to developing his ideas or drawing something special from them. The codas of these works stumble and stammer a bit, as they frantically try to work themselves into eloquence, until, floundering in several false starts, they wave the white flag of surrender and throw up their hands in a finale blazing, Brahmsian chord.

Its the clear, ringing yet rich and warm digital sound of these recordings that is perhaps what recommends them most to the intrepid listener. For those who delight in having their ears tickled by the late romantic orchestra, particularly in its Brahmsian guise, these symphonies, despite their limitations, are a treat. Kohler's interpretations are solid and free of eccentricities. So to sum up: good but not great music with attractive, occasional catchy tunes but little in the way of depth and nothing in the way of the grand symphonic epiphany that one finds in masters like Beethoven, Schumann, and Brahms.