Jochum/BPO: Brahms 4 Symphonies - DG LPM 18451/54 (4LP cloth box, AH tulip)

$

160

ITEM DESCRIPTION:

This beautiful and quite rare 4LP cloth box set from Deutsche Grammophon (LPM 18451/54, German pressings, AH large tulip labels, mono – no stereo editions exists, large full-size 34-page booklet included) features Eugen Jochum and the Berlin Philharmonic's glowing cycle of the complete Brahms Symphonies, taped in the rich acoustics of Jesus-Christus-Kirche, Berlin-Dahiem, one of the truly great traversals on record.

 

Wrote critic Robert Layton in the February 1997 issue of The Gramophone: "Of the two cycles conducted by Eugen Jochum I rather prefer the two-CD set with the Berlin Philharmonic dating from the 1950s, as did he, for although it is obviously not as well recorded as the LPO set made in the 1970s, the performances have a glowing radiance that transcends their sonic limitations, which as RC [Rob Cowan] indicated, are surprisingly few."

 

A note on this particular pressing: DGG pulled out all the stops for this cycle, issuing it in a heavy cloth box. Even more impressive is the full-size, 34-page booklet with a biography of Brahms by Hortensia Weiher-Waege, a discussion of his 4 Symphonies by Klaus Wagner, an appreciation of Jochum's artistry, and several full-page portraits of composer and conductor.

 

The complete contents of the set then are:

 

Brahms: Symphony No. 1 in C minor Op. 68

(rec. 11 December 1953)

 

Brahms: Symphony No. 2 in D Major Op. 73

(rec. 24 March 1951)

 

Brahms: Symphony No. 3 in F Major Op. 90

(rec. 17 April 1956)

 

Brahms: Symphony No. 4 in E minor Op. 98

(rec. 7 December 1953)

 

CONDITION:

The gradations of condition I use are as follows: MINT, Near-Mint, Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair, Poor.

 

The condition of the box is EXCELLENT. There is a small bit of writing to the upper-edge of the front panel, some edgewear, and discoloration. However, there are no corner breaks, bends, seamsplits, or other defects and the box remains extremely solid and presentation worthy. It can stand vertically on its own without falling open or tipping over – overall, an excellent collector's copy.

 

The condition of the large 34-page full-size booklet is VERY GOOD. Again, there are no flaws to speak of and the booklet appears as new. There is a 1" tear and some creasing to the front page, as well as slight bumping at corners. However, the pages remain crisp, are free of any markings, and the binding is perfectly solid.

 

The condition of the 4 LPs is VERY GOOD to EXCELLENT throughout. The surfaces are not always CD silent, and there are some scattered tics, but in general the playback is superb – overall, these rate as very good to excellent collector's copies.

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