This week, I want to recommend an album that I would place without hesitation among my “desert island” discs: the Berlin Philharmonic’s recording of Brahms’ The Four Symphonies under the Italian conductor Claudio Abbado.

In these late-‘80s and early-‘90s recordings, Abbado’s conducting is tremendously self-assured, possessing a clear sense of the structure and flow of Brahms’ music. Indeed, under Abbado, the virtuosic forces of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra manage to strike a perfect balance between the architectural, stately qualities of the composer’s work and its lush and romantic elements. In my listening, I find it is typical of many Brahms recordings to commit too much to one of these poles at the expense of the other — but Abbado’s rendition opts instead for a stunning reconciliation of these elements, revealing their simultaneous presence in Brahms’ beautiful compositions.

In addition to the justly famous Four Symphonies, this album features many lesser-known Brahms works, including an assortment of choral pieces that set texts by notable German poets like Schiller, Goethe, and Hölderlin, to provide a very rich and complete picture of Brahms.

Finally, the sound of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, whose playing is impeccable throughout, is captured with a special, warm glow on this recording, making it a truly indispensable album that rewards and surprises.