BaL 15.06.24 - Strauss: Also sprach Zarathustra

[Ein Heldenleben]

Even when the organ is in the same building, the orchestra seldom fails to drift sharp during those crucial opening minutes (in any case the organ doesn’t play anything audible until it’s too late), with grisly results when the organ is finally left alone…

The last live performance I saw/heard was the Melbourne Symphony a few years back during a brief visit to my childhood (and early adulthood) home. Unfortunately it was in a hall that had relatively recently been renovated, and the organ had not at that stage been reinstalled (perhaps it still hasn’t?). There was an electronic substitute of spectacular inadequacy. The conductor drastically shortened its solo contribution, but left just enough for the awfulness to be readily apparent, thus satisfying no one.

One of the Radio 3 announcers who’s clearly a bassoonist remarked at a recent performance that the contrabassons have to a hold a low c for a lung busting eternity. They usually get lost in the organ pedal note and the double basses . It’s been on R3 twice in the last couple of weeks so I’ve been listening out for those indefatigable double reeds…

[oliver sudden]

One of those orchestral moments where if you do manage to do the basically impossible thing the composer asks for, your reward is to be completely inaudible.

There are some fine attempts at it in this famous contrabassoon audition!

https://youtu.be/iZygC1yff04?feature=shared

[Ein Heldenleben]

One of those orchestral moments where if you do manage to do the basically impossible thing the composer asks for, your reward is to be completely inaudible.

There are some fine attempts at it in this famous contrabassoon audition!

https://youtu.be/iZygC1yff04?feature=shared

Oh the poor chap. What do they say ? If you own a bassoon you can make a living , if you can play it you can make a fortune.

[richardfinegold]

I have a bunch of recordings, most acquired as part of boxes. The 1954 Reiner/CSO is as good as any of them and boggles the mind that it was recorded that long ago. The Haitink/Amsterdam was the lp that I played the most back in the day

[richardfinegold]

Incidentally, I can't agree with those who say that the rest of the work is boring after the spectacular introduction. I found it an absorbing piece from the start and still do.

!

I’ve always enjoyed the whole shebang, but having heard it in concert a few times, it’s always amusing to see a good chunk of the crowd squirm with boredom as it progresses

[smittims]

Ah yes, watching the audience reminds me of an RFH concert yeras ago where the sponsors filled the Royal Box with their guests, whose idea of classical music was probably 'The Blue Danube'. Instead they got Varese's Ameriques,and the looks of consternation on their faces as it reached its madly-stomping climax was a sight to see.

[Darloboy]

Previous BaL recommendations:

David Mellor (Oct 98): Karajan 1983 + Kempe 1971 & Reiner 1954 as joint second choices
Chris de Souza (Dec 08): Karajan 1973

[cloughie]

Many a good recording available but LAPO Mehta and Reiner remain my first choices after many years.

[gurnemanz]

I got Kempe/Dresden 50 years ago on an East German Eterna LP which I eventually replaced via the EMI Strauss Kempe box. It's a classic recommendation and I needed no further version but later acquired a very good one on the EMI Tennstedt Great Recordings box.

[edashtav]

Is it true that the wildly hairy and moustacheoed, trendy Strauss originally subtitled his Symphonic poem (in translation) :

"Symphonic optimism in fin de siècle form, dedicated to the twentieth century,”?

1901 or 2001?

[smittims]

Whether it's 'true' or not I couldn't say without an authoritative source in front of me. That subtitle is quoted in numerous descriptions of the work, but I have yet to see a specific source mentioned (e.g. a dated, surviving letter in Strauss' hand) .

Often, I think, programme-note writers repeat phrases from earlier writers without checking their accuracy. For instance, many writers on Michael Tippett have repeated that he is Cornish or that his family came from Cornwall, but Oliver Soden's extensive research revealed no basis whatever for this assumption. Similarly, a recent biography of Benjamin Britten claimed that Alma Mahler asked Britten to complete her late husband's tenth symphony, and that Vaughan Williams bought a Rolls-Royce simply because Britten owned one. I know of no verification for these two highly unlikely claims.

At any rate, the Strauss quote does seem more liekly to me that either of the last two!

[Roger Webb]

I've had Karajan '73 since its release on Lp and Fritz Reiner/Chicago, also on Lp made by RCA (their first stereo with Reiner) in Orchestra Hall. Both have terrific sound, but the Karajan has the edge in string playing - particularly Michel Schwalbé's solo violin playing.

On CD I've the Kempe box, and the 'Also' is very good but not as pleasing as the above two. Oh, and my favourite CD release of the Karajan '74, a promotional copy in a sweet little imitation Lp sleeve given to me by the Polygram rep.

The Qobuz presentation of the Karajan '73 is particularly successful in 24bt 96k.

[Goon525]

Whether we agree with the verdict or not, I thought Jonathan Cross - a new name to me - did a pretty good job. I’d like him to have explained why, both for Karajan and Nelsons, he played from their earlier recordings in preference to the later ones.

[Roger Webb]

Whether we agree with the verdict or not, I thought Jonathan Cross - a new name to me - did a pretty good job. I’d like him to have explained why, both for Karajan and Nelsons, he played from their earlier recordings in preference to the later ones.

Well certainly for the Karajan the later digital one was recorded when the orchestra was having a bit of an off day - the playing is not on a par with that he obtained in '73...just listening to tne opening, it's one of those instances where, as Jonathan pointed out, there's a mismatch between orchestra and organ.

This Gramophone review might be interesting

https://www.gramophone.co.uk/features/article/strauss-s-also-sprach-zarathustra-a-complete-guide-to-the-best-recordings

BTW. I was a bit mystified by CD McG's comment that the Reiner/Chicago he (claimed to have) played was the 1962 RCA Red Seal/living Stereo recording.

The RCA Red Seal is the 1962 one, but the Living Stereo is the 1954 recording - which is a Red Seal recording! But the '62 was never a Living Stereo....so which did he play?

[HighlandDougie]

It provided a good work-out for the subwoofer - notably the Philharmonia/Bychkov recording - and I'm glad that I listened to the programme as Jonathan Cross was articulate and reasoned in his comments. Not that I have anything against the Vasily Petrenko recording but I thought that there was a touch of, "hmm, the 1972 Karajan would be too obvious a choice". ASZ still comes fairly high on my list of works to be avoided if at all possible - I really don't like Richard Strauss - and, alas, today's programme didn't alter my no doubt stupid antipathy.