BaL 5.10.19 - Strauss: Ein Heldenleben

[Bryn]

I’ve been listening to the Reiner-CSO account, and the sixty year old recording so vividly captures those closing pages in a naturalistic concert ambience without unnatural spotlighting, and while I’ve always liked the piece at the moment I’m totally enamored of it. Strauss was surely being facetious when he referred to himself as a second rate Composer

I think you might be being a little unfair in your assessment of the Strauss's critical faculties.

[verismissimo]

… Strauss was surely being facetious when he referred to himself as a second rate Composer

First rate in opera and song though.

[Stanfordian]

Richard Strauss is a first rate composer full-stop!

[cloughie]

I have to thank DID for my life-long love of this piece. It was the (Top Rank - some might remember or even possess the record) Leopold Ludwig and the LSO playing the opening that caught my ear but it was Beecham's recording - his last - that really hooked me. To me everything is wonderful but never more than with Beecham, the end of the battle scene and the return of the opening and horn writing shivers my timbers every time and the work's closing section, so eloquent. If I have a favourite classical record ...

Yes Ludwig was on Top Rank, but it was an Everest recording and was issued on LP on WRC but later on an Everest CD. However it now does sound dull compared to many others in Reiner and the excellent LAPO Mehta Decca 60s recording.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Has Karajan’s been deleted?

To which of the three listed versions do you refer?

[Petrushka]

To which of the three listed versions do you refer?

As far as I am aware, there are a total of seven recordings of Ein Heldeleben from Karajan. They are:

Studio
BPO (1959) DG
BPO (1974) EMI/Warner
BPO (1985) DG

Live
NYPO (Carnegie Hall, New York, November 15 1958) Pristine Audio
BPO (Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatoire, May 30 1969) Melodiya
BPO (RFH, London, May 16 1972) Testament
BPO (RFH, London, April 27 1985) Testament

I have them all and would be interested to know if I've missed any.

Karajan clearly loved this work and I sincerely hope that his contribution to Heldnleben's recorded history is not glossed over or lightly dismissed by TS. Karajan gets a rough ride on BaL these days and it's not justified in my view.

[jayne lee wilson]

Wonderful post, Pet.... devoted listening and arcane knowledge.... FoR3 as it should be...

[edashtav]

As far as I am aware, there are a total of seven recordings of Ein Heldeleben from Karajan. They are:

Studio
BPO (1959) DG
BPO (1974) EMI/Warner
BPO (1985) DG

Live
NYPO (Carnegie Hall, New York, November 15 1958) Pristine Audio
BPO (Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatoire, May 30 1969) Melodiya
BPO (RFH, London, May 16 1972) Testament
BPO (RFH, London, April 27 1985) Testament

I have them all and would be interested to know if I've missed any.

Karajan clearly loved this work and I sincerely hope that his contribution to Heldnleben's recorded history is not glossed over or lightly dismissed by TS. Karajan gets a rough ride on BaL these days and it's not justified in my view.

I wonder if Disco Archivia #1015 which couples Beethoven's 4th and the Strauss caught in vivid stereo from a BPO
USA tour during November 1974 is admissable? It arises, I believe, from a non-broadcast Radio tape, and may be a missing link in your collection, Pet?

[LHC]

As far as I am aware, there are a total of seven recordings of Ein Heldeleben from Karajan. They are:

Studio
BPO (1959) DG
BPO (1974) EMI/Warner
BPO (1985) DG

Live
NYPO (Carnegie Hall, New York, November 15 1958) Pristine Audio
BPO (Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatoire, May 30 1969) Melodiya
BPO (RFH, London, May 16 1972) Testament
BPO (RFH, London, April 27 1985) Testament

I have them all and would be interested to know if I've missed any.

Karajan clearly loved this work and I sincerely hope that his contribution to Heldnleben's recorded history is not glossed over or lightly dismissed by TS. Karajan gets a rough ride on BaL these days and it's not justified in my view.

There is also a live recording on DVD from the mid 80s that is still available as part of 3 disc set of Strauss tone poems on Sony. The DVDs are slightly odd in that the soundtrack was re-recorded in the Philharmonie in 2007 to provide a surround sound recording.

[BBMmk2]

To which of the three listed versions do you refer?

Oh right, thanks Alpie. I’ll have another peruse.

[DracoM]

OMG - Service in machine gun, stopping starting, erming and uuhing, faster than the speed of sound stuff interrupted and talked over by competing McGregor.
If you wanted a reason to hate these twofers, THIS IS IT.

AMcG telling us that it really ought to be me doing this, and Service desperate to make his name. Crikey, oh Crikey!

[Paulie55]

Oh for heaven's sake! Doesn't Tom Service gabble as if he's on steroids? Why hasn't anyone told him to slow down and stop sounding like an excitable schoolboy. Is he trying for the Guinness World Record of speaking as many words as possible within the minimum amount of time? After putting up with Elizabeth Alker's sybillant-less presentation, now we have TS gushing uncontrollably.

[DracoM]

This is UTTERLY barmy...............

[Barbirollians]

This is UTTERLY barmy...............

I have just turned on the Car radio to find it still tuned to R3 - tried to put up with it for 5 minutes it is execrable so off it goes

[Ein Heldenleben]

Is it red card time? *

* see earlier post