Who needs another Brahms Second Symphony? Well, after Iván Fischer’s exhilarating Brahms No 1, we can all benefit from the intense freshness and lyricism that his Budapest forces bring to this music, along with their roots in eastern Europe. The lower strings’ first-movement second subject sounds like pure Dvorák, and there is a touch of old-fashioned portamento in the coda. Fischer is superb at clarifying the textures (there’s a spine-tingling section for the woodwind in the development), and there are even pre-echoes of Mahler’s First to be heard. If the Finale’s end doesn’t have the overwhelming impact of more vulgar versions, it’s because of Fischer’s admirable emphasis on purity throughout. The Tragic and Academic Festival overtures round off a really original disc.
