Almost from the Second Symphony's amply swaying, golden-toned opening bars, it is clear that this is going to be a full-blooded traditionalist reading, unalloyed by 'period performance' scruples. At the same time, Young has evidently reconsidered many of the interpretative habits the score has acquired over time, and rejected some.

I like the gradual gain of momentum through the Allegro towards the impassioned second subject and Simone Young holds back just enough at cadence points to acknowledge their importance. The rarely heard bridge back to the exposition repeat is particularly convincing, as though Brahms is weighing his ideas on a set of scales.

Where Simone Young is at her strongest is in the sense of flow in the music. The feel of organic development and narrative progression in the twenty minutes of the first movement is nicely prepared and executed, with a secure sense of connection from beginning to end...This is a Brahms Symphony No. 2 which is very fine, and will grow on you with time as it has with me.