Allan Kozinn on Simon Rattle

"Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic … gave the first of three concerts built around the Brahms symphonies on Wednesday evening. Repertory doesn’t get much more standard than Brahms. But Mr. Rattle and his orchestra have just released a recording of the four symphonies (on EMI Classics), so it makes sense to tour with them. … Mr. Rattle devoted the second half of the concert to a magnificently shaped, vividly played performance of the Symphony No. 1. Throughout the first movement Mr. Rattle kept the tensions that swirl around the score’s C minor tonality in high relief, mainly by keeping the dynamics and balances fluid and pointing up this ensemble’s distinctive timbres: its assertively tactile timpani sound, for example. … Thereafter, as Brahms pushed the work from its dark opening into the blazing light of its finale, Mr. Rattle lightened its hues. … It would probably be too much to say that Mr. Rattle’s performance was revelatory in a lightning bolt sort of way. But it approached the work with the kind of energy, clarity and thoughtfulness that reminds you what made it such a knockout the first time you heard it" ("Music Review," New York Times, 11/13/09).