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July 7, 1983

CLASSICAL Brahms, Johannes: Hungarian Dances (Orchestral versions). Vienna Philharmonic , Claudio Abbado, conductor. (DG Digital 2560 100) - This new release serves to introduce DG's ambitious Brahms Edition honoring the sesquicentennial of the composer's birth. The multivolume edition, patterned after the company's highly successful Beethoven Edition of the '70s, will include all the Brahms there is to record, much of it in new performances, the rest culled from the already strong DG catalog. This disk, in fact, comes from an orchestral box and offers taut, energetic performances by Abbado and the Vienna Philharmonic. It is a lovely way to get introduced to the entire edition musically. Inside the fold-over jacket is an elaborate brochure describing the entire series. But this release offers superb playing and clean, honest recorded sound, making it a fine release in its own right.