Valery Gergiev begins his Brahms symphony cycle with recordings of the first two symphonies, 'Tragic Overture' and 'Haydn Variations'.

The 'Haydn Variations' was Brahms’ first orchestral piece, and was the first set of independent variations for orchestra by any composer. His epic First Symphony, portraying dignity and grandeur, was ecstatically received at its premier in 1876, and Brahms was soon heralded as one of the great symphonic masters. His Second Symphony, with its joyful melodies and pastoral beauty, portrays a more relaxed tone than its predecessor. The Tragic Overture, on the other hand, is turbulent and tormented, with a powerful and magnificent energy.

Concert Reviews:
"As always with Gergiev, there were idiosyncrasies to his rendition of Brahms’s First Symphony. But they were all welcome. The dark colourings and strong accentation that hinted at a Russian flavour were fascinating. As was the bass-heavy final peroration that seemed to transform the orchestra into an Orthodox choir." - TheArtsDesk.com

"in the Variations on a Theme of Haydn he [Gergiev] struck gold in a superbly handled sequence of variations. The feather-light Mendelssohnian scherzo of the fifth was followed by a jaunty windband in the sixth, a gracefully lilting seventh and a spookily muted eighth before the St Anthony chorale emerged with dignity" - London Evening Standard