Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, Rudolf Kempe
00:00 - I. Allegro con brio
09:31 - II. Andante
17:33 - III. Poco allegretto
23:35 - IV. Allegro — Un poco sostenuto

Recorded: November 1975 in Munich
https://lee.classite.com/music/Kempe/...

Audio Source:
Scribendum – SC 002
https://www.discogs.com/ru/release/25...

https://www.classical.net/music/recs/...
Rudolf Kempe was a natural Brahmsian whose flair and unalloyed musical knowledge comes through in these splendidly effusive readings that were made in the autumn of his life with the Munich Philharmonic.
If one had to compare these readings with the famous Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra cycle (still available on Testament) one would find a certain slowing of pace but the architectural grandeur of say, #1's Finale comes through most palpably.

https://www.amazon.com/Johannes-Brahm...
Joey Joe Joe Jr. Shabadoo
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent performances of both the Third and especially the First
Reviewed in the United States on December 8, 2019
Verified Purchase
"Rudolf Kempe is clearly a Furtwangler disciple (he had ties to him from youth), and from the opening bars his conducting style belies that; like Furtwangler and Jochum, there is subtle temporal ebb and flow, and he allows the direction of the music to dictate how fast or slow something should go. Unlike them however, he doesn't exhibit that occasional tendency of those two (admittedly great) conductors to excessively push and pull the music about - his flexibility is far more subtle. But these performances certainly do "breathe", and it's all to the better...
...The Third is also excellent, in what many would consider Brahms' most enigmatic symphony. His handling of the opening movement, which is sometimes a challenge to "get right", is wonderful. That subtle sense of breath gives the movement life. Kempe's subtle tempo modulations also add an entirely different dimension to the duple-vs-tripe rhythms in the second movement. The poco allegretto gets a lovely reading, and Kempe kicks up the drama in the Finale. I'd rate this with Dorati, Reiner-CSO, Jochum (DG), and Walter-NYPO as one of the truly great interpretations. This entire disc really is master-class conducting.
As I noted in my review of Symphonies 2 & 4, the Munich Philharmonic surprised me. They represent themselves extremely well across this cycle. They weren't considered a top-flight orchestra, but they sure sound like one here. Excellent ensemble work, lovely shading and character in all the right spots, and all choirs of the orchestra are easily heard, something that's really a must in Brahms. So many conductors turn these dense scores into muddy mush, but Kempe and his band expertly avoid all that. I imagine a great deal of the credit for this belongs to both Kempe and the sound engineers...
...You might say I'm something of a Brahms specialist: I own somewhere in the neighborhood of fifty complete Brahms cycles, in addition to hundreds of one-offs; I've heard most of the big boys in this music, with the best orchestras in the world playing it for them. Given that, I can still say this Kempe cycle falls somewhere in the top dozen or so as a complete set. I would strongly recommend both this disc, and its companion disc containing symphonies 2 & 4, to fellow Brahms aficionados. Kempe was a terribly underrated artist, and this set gives us a chance to appreciate his natural touch in this repertoire. Strongly recommended."

About the conductor:
https://www.allmusic.com/album/great-...
Great Conductors of the 20th Century: Rudolf Kempe Review by James Leonard
"...This edition of EMI's Great Conductors of the Twentieth Century presents a selection of Kempe's Beethoven, Brahms, and Bruckner, plus bits of his Ravel, Wolf, and Johann Strauss. All of them are excellent. Kempe's "Tragic" Overture is massive, his "Romantic" Symphony is monumental, and his "Eroica" Symphony is colossal, but all of it is supple and subtle and deeply human. His Ravel is airborne, his Wolf is clear light, and his Strauss is pure delight, but all of it is deeply human. The warm tone, the singing phrasing, the organic sense of form that imbues all these performances no matter what the orchestra is testimony to Kempe's own deep humanity. Each of these performances is wholly individualistic and utterly compelling, and all are as fine as the best recordings of the period. The digitally remastered sound of each is clear and warm and often as real as the LPs from which they came."

Rudolf Kempe & Munich Philharmonic Orchestra • Johannes Brahms
   • Rudolf Kempe & Munich Philharmonic Or...  

Rudolf Kempe & Munich Philharmonic Orchestra • Beethoven • The Nine Symphonies
   • Rudolf Kempe & Munich Philharmonic Or...