BaL 15.12.18 - Strauss: Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

09.30
Building a Library: William Mival picks a personal favourite from among the recordings of Richard Strauss's Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche (Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks).
In an exhilarating tour de force of orchestral writing and musical form, Strauss's 1895 symphonic poem depicts the exploits of the 14th century Till Eulenspiegel. Rascally, foolish and mischievous, courageous and scornful, Till rampages through medieval German society, leaving destruction and outrage in his wake as he confronts and exposes pomposity and hypocrisy. By identifying himself through musical brilliance as an anarchic devil-may-care hero, Strauss was at least in part giving the finger to the musical establishment after the critical dubbing of his recently premiered first opera Guntram. Late in life, Strauss said of Till 'I just wanted to give the people in the concert hall a good laugh for once.' Or was that, too, just another prank...?

Available recordings:-

Berliner Philharmoniker, Claudio Abbado
London Symphony Orchestra, Claudio Abbado
Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg, Marc Albrecht (SACD)
Cleveland Orchestra, Vladimir Ashkenazy*
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Thomas Beecham
New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Leonard Bernstein*
Staatskapelle Dresden, Herbert Blomstedt
Berliner Philharmoniker, Karl Böhm
Staatskapelle Dresden, Karl Böhm
BBC Symphony Orchestra, Fritz Busch
WDR Sinfonieorchester, Semyon Bychkov*
Berliner Philharmoniker, Sergiu Celibidache
Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR, Sergiu Celibidache (DVD)
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Sir Andrew Davis
London Symphony Orchestra, Norman Del Mar
Cleveland Orchestra, Christoph von Dohnányi*
Philharmonia Orchestra, Christoph von Dohnányi
Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Antal Doráti
Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra, Antal Dorati
Berliner Philharmoniker, Gustavo Dudamel
Wiener Philharmoniker, Christoph Eschenbach
Wiener Philharmoniker, Christoph Eschenbach (DVD/Blu-ray))
Budapest Festival Orchestra, Iván Fischer*
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Iván Fischer
RIAS Symphonie Orchester, Ferenc Fricsay
Berliner Philharmoniker, Wilhelm Furtwängler (x2)
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Wilhelm Furtwängler (SACD avaialble)
Grand Symphony Orchestra of All-Union National Radio Service and Central Television Networks, Alexander Gauk*
Concertgebouw Orchestra, Amsterdam, Bernard Haitink
Orchestre Mondial des Jeunesses Musicales, Pierre Hetu*
SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg, Christopher Hogwood
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Manfred Honeck (SACD)
Bamberger Symphoniker, Jascha Horenstein
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Mariss Jansons
Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Mariss Jansons
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Mariss Jansons
Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Neeme Järvi
Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, Neeme Järvi*
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Eugen Jochum
Tsibili Symphony Orchestra, Djansug Kakhidze*
Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan
Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan
Philharmonia Orchestra, Herbert von Karajan
Wiener Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan
***Berliner Philharmoniker, Bayerisches Staatsorchester, Joseph Keilberth
Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Joseph Keilberth
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Rudolf Kempe
Staatskapelle Dresden, Rudolf Kempe
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Erich Kleiber
Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, Erich Kleiber*
NDR Sinfonieorchester, Erich Kleiber
Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, Otto Klemperer*
Concertgebouw Orchestra, Otto Klemperer
Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, Otto Klemperer*
Staatskapelle Berlin, Otto Klemperer*
Philharmonia Orchestra, Otto Klemperer
Orchestra Sinfonica di Torino della RAI, Otto Klemperer*
Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Otto Klemperer
WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln, Otto Klemperer*
Staatskapelle Berlin, Hans Knappertsbusch*
Budapest Symphony Orchestra, Ken-Ichiro Kobayashi*
Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra, Zdenk Kosler
Boston Symphony Orchestra, Sergey Koussevitzky*
Wiener Philharmoniker, Clemens Krauss
Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Josef Krips
Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra, Emmanuel Krivine
Boston Symphony Orchestra, Erich Leinsdorf (DVD)
Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, Erich Leinsdorf*
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Ferdinand Leitner
Berliner Philharmoniker, James Levine
Münich Philharmonic, James Levine
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Henry Lewis*
Bordeaux Aquitaine National Orchestra, Alain Lombard*
Taiwan Philharmonic, NSO, Shao-Chia Lu*
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Lorin Maazel*
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Lorin Maazel
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Charles Mackerras
French National Radio Orchestra, Igor Markevitch
Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart, Sir Neville Marriner
Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Kurt Masur*
Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Zubin Mehta (DVD)
Berliner Philharmoniker, Pierre Monteux
Standard Symphony Orchestra (San Francisco), Pierre Monteux
Charles Munch, Boston Symphony Orchestra
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Andris Nelsons
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Andris Nelsons (DVD/Blu-ray)
BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Tadaaki Otaka
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Paul Paray*
Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR, Georges Pretre
NBC Symphony Orchestra, Fritz Reiner
RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra, Fritz Reiner*
Wiener Philharmoniker, Fritz Reiner
London Philharmonic Orchestra, Karl Anton Rickenbacher
London Symphony Orchestra, Artur Rodzinski*
SWR Sinfornieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg, François-Xavier Roth
London Symphony Orchestra, Wolfgang Sawallisch
Philadelphia Orchestra, Wolfgang Sawallisch*
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Thomas Schippers
Berliner Philharmoniker, Sir Georg Solti
Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Sir Georg Solti
Tonhalle Orchester Zurich, Sir Georg Solti*
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, William Steinberg
Gürzenich-Orchester Köln, Markus Stenz
BBC Symphony Orchestra, Richard Strauss
Staatskapelle Berlin, Richard Strauss
Studio Orchestra, Richard Strauss*
Wiener Philharmoniker, Richard Strauss
Cleveland Orchestra, George Szell
Cleveland Orchestra, George Szell
London Symphony Orchestra, Michael Tilson Thomas (DVD)
Canada National Youth Orchestra, Georg Tintner*
NBC Symphony Orchestra, Arturo Toscanini
Lahti Chamber Ensemble, Osmo Vanska*
Minnesota Orchestra, Edo de Waart*
Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, Bruno Walter*
Frankfurt Opera and Museum Orchestra, Sebastian Weigle
Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, David Zinman*
Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, David Zinman (DVD/Blu-ray)


* = download only

[vinteuil]

.

... heroic work as usual, Alpie - many thanks.

But I think I can have Sunday [ recte Saturday (thank you, ferney ) ] morning off for once - I feel I have more than enough recordings of a work I don't particularly like and which is played pretty often on radio 3...

PS - "critical dubbing"? - I expect the radio 3 writer intended "critical drubbing", but what do I know?




.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

... heroic work as usual, Alpie - many thanks.

But I think I can have Sunday morning off for once - I feel I have more than enough recordings of a work I don't particularly like and which is played pretty often on radio 3...

Ahh - but will you be listening on Saturday morning, when the programme's broadcast?

Til Eulenberg was included in the programme of the very first orchestral concert I ever attended in 1972. I hated it, and it was many, many years before I came to like it. Even now, it's my least favourite of the more frequently performed Strauss Tone Poems.

[PS - "critical dubbing"? - I expect the radio 3 writer intended "critical drubbing", but what do I know?

Having just looked up the meaning of "dubbing" on the Urban Slang Dictionary, I fervently hope so!

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

It isn't my favourite either. Nevertheless, I have many recordings, mostly as Alpine Symphony fillers.

[cloughie]

It isn't my favourite either. Nevertheless, I have many recordings, mostly as Alpine Symphony fillers.

leI rather like it and it is a light-hearted middle to the DJ/Till/Tod trilogy and there are many good recordings including Karajan, Maazel, Reiner, Stokowski, Kempe, Bohm, Jochum, Klemperer, Furtwangler - and others - BaL will be interesting but I don’t expect to be alerting suppliers for yet another recording.

[verismissimo]

I thought Karajan would have most on Alpie's list, but not so. It's Klemperer by a few lengths.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I thought Karajan would have most on Alpie's list, but not so. It's Klemperer by a few lengths.

I’m not certain of how many BPO/Karajan versions there are.

[Beef Oven!]

I thought Karajan would have most on Alpie's list, but not so. It's Klemperer by a few lengths.

I really like this work and I have 3 HvKs (1xEMI, 1xDG analogue & 1xDG digital. 1 Klemperer (EMI) 1Rudolf Kempe which is my favourite (EMI) and the one I've had for over 25 years, Jacek Kasprzyk, London Symphony Orchestra (Collins), which is another favourite.

There are others lurking on my shelves, but it's too much effort for me to list them

[Petrushka]

One of the very first Richard Strauss LPs I bought (in 1973) was Fritz Reiner with the VPO on Decca Eclipse. It so happened that I was reading Norman del Mar's Strauss biography at the time and his analysis brought the piece alive. I've got many recordings on CD but, oddly not that Reiner.

Standard advice would be to go for a recording from those who knew Strauss - still a fair number of those list!

[gurnemanz]

Only one recording - Kempe/Dresden (part of box set), which many people will have and I also had on LP. Not for me something to play that often, but more often than Heldenleben. I have just done so and greatly enjoyed it - fantastic stereo sound which really shows off the orchestration to radiant effect. It's not that long and I'm sure I've heard it done as a showpiece encore from an orchestra on tour.

I hope the reviewer will listen attentively to all 118 recordings and maybe accept the challenge of giving the full name off the piece in its original German: "Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche, nach alter Schelmenweise - in Rondeauform - für grosses Orchester gesetzt."

[Bryn]

There's another Jochum, with the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra:

Richard STRAUSS (1864-1949)
Till Eulenspiegel
Waltz Sequences: Der Rosenkavalier
Don Juan
Bamberg Symphony Orchestra
Eugen Jochum
Death and Transfiguration
RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra
Fritz Reiner
Also Sprach Zarathustra
Ein Heldeleben
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Fritz Reiner
Rec (Jochum), 1984; (Reiner Death and Transfiguration), 1950; (Reiner Zarathustra and Heldenleben), 1954
RCA Red Seal 74321 846082 [2CDs: 72.42 & 75.35]

[Beef Oven!]

"Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche, nach alter Schelmenweise - in Rondeauform - für grosses Orchester gesetzt."

aka 'Till'

[Beef Oven!]

There's another Jochum, with the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra:

"Wear your poppy with pride and look serious about it"

[pastoralguy]

I'm delighted to hear that this work, one of my favourites, is 'under the microscope'. It's a work I've played many times and it's great fun to 'execute!'

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

One of the very first Richard Strauss LPs I bought (in 1973) was Fritz Reiner with the VPO on Decca Eclipse. ... I've got many recordings on CD but, oddly not that Reiner.

Do you mean Clemens Krauss, Pet?



(Nowadays available in a DECCA box: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Krauss-cond.../dp/B00IY372CY )

Standard advice would be to go for a recording from those who knew Strauss - still a fair number of those list!

Not necessarily - Strauss was one of those composers who went around telling conductors that their performance of his work was the very best he'd ever heard (even if he'd never heard the performance). Plenty of conductors who never met him have recorded fine recordings of Till.