EMI ASD 406: Kempe's Brahms 3rd

EMI ASD 406
Brahms: Symphony No. 3, Tragic Overture
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Rudolf Kempe, conductor

Pressing: ED1, white/gold label

Date first published: 1961

Stampers: 2YRA 1639, 2YRA 1640

Performance: 7/10

Sound: 7/10

Price range: $57-1000 (mean $521)

Comments: Go figure. Rudolf Kempe's Brahms symphony recordings on EMI HMV have consistently sold for a fortune. Most valuable are his recordings of the 1st and 3rd, both of which feature similar granitic covers of a gray stone wall with Brahms' bust. The copy displayed on this post is one that I previously owned but sold in the recent past, but since I've been on a Kubelik kick this evening, I'd figure I'd also go on a Kempe kick. Though I wouldn't say that they are my favorite analog versions (try Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra, Klemperer and the Philharmonia, Levine and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, or Jochum and the London Philharmonic) I do still enjoy listening to Kempe's Brahms from time to time, and this recording is no exception. If it's the tube sound you're after, this LP will probably interest you because it's warm and rich, but mark my words ... the sound won't blow you out of the water. Whether it's worth $1000 to listen to this, I can't make that argument for you (I got a copy that was very conservatively graded and undervalued for $80, then sold it for more than that), especially since you can enjoy all four symphonies digitally remastered on the Testament label for less than $30. I'd say sample the digital first to see if you actually like the interpretations and then decide whether you want the LPs. Be aware that a Classics for Pleasure reissue of the Brahms 1st symphony does exist and sounds excellent for a mere fraction of the price of the original. The steep price of the ED1 originals is for pretty much rarity alone, which is enough for some collectors to empty their coffers to make the purchase -- or, as we say on the ebay market, the snipe. Proceed at your own peril. As my dear mother once said to me, "There is no status in overpaying."