BaL 26.11.22 - Strauss: Don Juan

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  • Eine Alpensinfonie
    Host
    • Nov 2010
    • 20575

    BaL 26.11.22 - Strauss: Don Juan

    10.30 am
    Building a Library
    William Mival chooses his favourite recording of Richard Strauss’s symphonic poem Don Juan.

    In Strauss’s Don Juan, the infamous libertine bursts onto the stage with a dazzling flourish. The following 16 minutes are no less compelling, the irresistible, swaggering Don superbly evoked through sumptuous and virtuosic orchestration, including tender violin and oboe solos and heroic, triumphant horn calls. Strauss, in his mid-20s, could already do it all! It’s music that, even after 130 years, still keeps orchestras and conductors on very much on their mettle.

    Available versions:-

    Berliner Philharmoniker, Claudio Abbado
    London Symphony Orchestra, Claudio Abbado
    Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg, Marc Albrecht *
    St. Olaf Orchestra, Steven Amundson *
    Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Karel Ancerl
    Wiener Symphoniker, Ataulfo Argenta
    Cleveland Orchestra, Vladimir Ashkenazy *
    Philharmonia Orchestra, Sir John Barbirolli
    Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Daniel Barenboim *
    Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Thomas Beecham
    Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, Paavo Berglund
    Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, Bertrand de Billy
    San Francisco Symphony, Herbert Blomstedt
    Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Karl Böhm *
    Cologne Radio Symphony Orchestra, Karl Böhm
    Staatskapelle Dresden, Karl Böhm
    Lubeck Philharmonic Orchestra, Roman Brogli-Sacher (SACD)
    London Philharmonic Orchestra, Fritz Busch
    Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Semyon Bychkov
    Portuguese Symphony Orchestra, Álvaro Cassuto
    Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Sergiu Celibidache *
    Wiener Philharmoniker, André Cluytens
    Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Sir Andrew Davis *
    Oregon Symphony, James DePreist
    Wiener Philharmoniker, Christoph von Dohnányi *
    Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Antal Doráti *
    Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra, Antal Dorati *
    Berliner Philharmoniker, Gustavo Dudamel *
    Hallé Orchestra, Mark Elder
    Budapest Festival Orchestra, Iván Fischer *
    Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Ferenc Fricsay
    Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Johannes Fritzsch *
    Berliner Philharmoniker, Wilhelm Furtwängler
    Berliner Philharmoniker, Wilhelm Furtwängler
    Venezuela Symphony Orchestra, Wilhelm Furtwängler *
    Wiener Philharmoniker, Wilhelm Furtwängler
    Philharmonia Orchestra, Alceo Galliera
    Münchner Philharmoniker, Valery Gergiev
    World Orchestra For Peace, Valery Gergiev *
    World Orchestra For Peace, Valery Gergiev (DVD/Blu-ray)
    New York Philharmonic, Alan Gilbert *
    Concertgebouw Orchestra, Bernard Haitink
    London Philharmonic Orchestra, Bernard Haitink
    Saarbrücken Radio Symphony Orchestra, Günther Herbig *
    Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Manfred Honeck (SACD)
    Bamberger Symphoniker, Jascha Horenstein
    Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Jascha Horenstein *
    Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Eliahu Inbal *
    Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Mariss Jansons
    Berliner Philharmoniker, Mariss Jansons (DVD)
    Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Mariss Jansons (SACD)
    Wiener Philharmoniker, Mariss Jansons (DVD)
    Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Neeme Järvi
    NHK Symphony Orchestra, Paavo Järvi
    Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Eugen Jochum *
    Tsibili Symphony Orchestra, Djansug Kakhidze
    Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan
    Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan (DVD)
    Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Herbert von Karajan *
    Philharmonia Orchestra, Herbert von Karajan
    Wiener Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan *
    Philharmonia Orchestra, Tolga Kashif
    Bayerisches Staatsorchester Joseph Keilberth
    Staatskapelle Dresden, Rudolf Kempe
    Kölner Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester, Otto Klemperer *
    Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, Otto Klemperer
    Philharmonia Orchestra, Otto Klemperer *
    Wiener Philharmoniker, Otto Klemperer
    Budapest Symphony Orchestra, Ken-Ichiro Kobayashi *
    Paris Conservatoire Orchestra, Hans Knappertsbusch
    Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra, Zdenek Koler
    Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra, Zdenek Kosler
    Boston Symphony Orchestra, Serge Koussevitzky *
    Wiener Philharmoniker, Clemens Krauss
    Strasbourg Philharmonic Orchestra, Jan Latham-Koenig
    Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Fritz Lehmann *
    Staatskapelle Dresden, Fabio Luisi *
    Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Fabio Luisi
    Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Lorin Maazel *
    Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Charles Mackerras
    Texas All-State Symphony Orchestra, Philip Mann *
    Tonkünstler Orchester, Jun Märkl *
    Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR, Sir Neville Marriner
    New Yorks Philhamonic, Kurt Masur
    Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, Zubin Mehta
    Concertgebouw Orchestra, Willem Mengelberg
    New York Philharmonic, Dimitri Mitropoulos
    BBC Philharmonic, Pierre Monteux
    Boston Symphony Orchestra, Pierre Monteux *
    Standard Symphony Orchestra (San Francisco), Pierre Monteux
    Boston Symphony Orchestra, Charles Munch *
    Berliner Philharmoniker, Riccardo Muti
    City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Andris Nelsons
    Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Andris Nelsons
    NDR Symphony Orchestra Hamburg, Eugene Ormandy
    Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy
    BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Tadaaki Otaka
    Minnesota Orchestra, Eiji Oue
    Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Vasily Petrenko
    Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR, Georges Pretre
    London Symphony Orchestra, André Previn
    Wiener Philharmoniker, André Previn
    Berliner Philharmoniker, Sir Simon Rattle (SACD)
    Berliner Philharmoniker, Sir Simon Rattle (DVD/Blu-ray)
    Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Fritz Reiner
    Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Fritz Reiner
    London Symphony Orchestra, Artur Rodzinski
    Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI di Torino, Mario Rossi *
    SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg, François-Xavier Roth
    Philadelphia Orchestra, Wolfgang Sawallisch *
    Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Thomas Schippers *
    Slovanian Symphony Orchestra, Alfred Scholz *
    Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Gerard Schwarz
    Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, Yuri Simonov *
    Dresden Staatskapelle, Giuseppe Sinopoli
    Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Sir Georg Solti
    Covent Garden Orchestra, Sir Georg Solti (DVD)
    Tonhalle Orchester Zurich, Sir Georg Solti *
    Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Georg Solti (DVD)
    Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, William Steinberg
    Stadium Symphony Orchestra of New York, Leopold Stokowski *
    Deutsche Oper Berlin, Richard Strauss
    Munich Reichssenders Orchestra, Richard Strauss *
    Philharmonia Orchestra, Richard Strauss
    Staatskapelle Berlin, Richard Strauss *
    Studio orchestra. Richard Strauss *
    Wiener Philharmoniker, Richard Strauss
    Philharmoniker, George Szell
    Cleveland Orchestra, George Szell *
    Waseda Symphony Orchestra, Masahiko Tanaka *
    London Philharmonic Orchestra, Klaus Tennstedt
    London Symphony Orchestra, Michael Tilson Thomas,
    Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Robin Ticciati
    Canada National Youth Orchestra, Georg Tintner *
    NBC Symphony Orchestra, Arturo Toscanini
    Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala di Milano, Arturo Toscanini
    Orchestre de la Francophonie, Jean-Philippe Tremblay
    Brno Philharmonic Orchestra, Martin Turnovsky
    NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester, Krzysztof Urbanski
    Berliner Philharmoniker, Bruno Walter *
    New York Philharmonic, Bruno Walter
    Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Bruno Walter
    Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Bruno Walter
    Frankfurter Opern- und Museumsorchester, Sebastian Weigle
    Cleveland Orchestra, Franz Welser-Möst (SACD)
    Southgerman Philharmonic Orchestra, Hans Zanotelli *
    Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, David Zinman *

    (* = download only)
    Last edited by Eine Alpensinfonie; 04-12-22, 14:56.
  • Nick Armstrong
    Host
    • Nov 2010
    • 26575

    #2
    Cor blimey, Sir, that’s a long one

    Thanks as ever for the efforts!
    "...the isle is full of noises,
    Sounds and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not.
    Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments
    Will hum about mine ears, and sometime voices..."

    Comment

    • pastoralguy
      Full Member
      • Nov 2010
      • 7816

      #3
      Fantastic work, Alpie!

      My introduction to Richard Strauss as a teenager. I can’t help but think of the thousands and thousands of hours violinists must have spent working at the first page! A real audition piece.

      Comment

      • Pulcinella
        Host
        • Feb 2014
        • 11113

        #4
        Originally posted by Nick Armstrong View Post
        Cor blimey, Sir, that’s a long one

        Thanks as ever for the efforts!


        I'm a little surprised not to see Bernstein in the list: I would have thought him quite well suited to the piece.
        Seems that he didn't record much Strauss at all, though.

        OK, Petrushka: come clean! How many on your shelves?
        Only Dresden/Kempe here (there's not even a BBC MM one).

        Comment

        • Eine Alpensinfonie
          Host
          • Nov 2010
          • 20575

          #5
          Originally posted by Pulcinella View Post

          OK, Petrushka: come clean! How many on your shelves?
          Only Dresden/Kempe here (there's not even a BBC MM one).
          I was wondering too.

          I have this many times over, though only one (VPO/Karajan) was bought for the work itself. The rest were all couplings with another Strauss tone poem.

          Comment

          • Petrushka
            Full Member
            • Nov 2010
            • 12330

            #6
            Originally posted by Pulcinella View Post

            OK, Petrushka: come clean! How many on your shelves?
            I've hopefully counted them all and it turns out to be 31. To be honest I thought it was more until I came across duplications between boxes (eg Jansons and Jochum).

            Don Juan was the very first item I heard at a live classical concert (RPO/Kempe, May 1972) so it has a special place in my affections. Incidentally, there is/was a recording by Kempe and the RPO that I don't see on the list. It was recorded in May 1964 and originally issued on Readers Digest. There was a Chesky CD issue (coupled with an unexpectedly fine Symphonie Fantastique with the RPO and Massimo Freccia, of whom I've never otherwise come across). This same Kempe recording of Don Juan was also included in a Scribendum box, 'The Art of Rudolf Kempe'.

            Despite having so many recordings there are two that, for me, stand out from the pack: Staatskapelle Dresden/Kempe and the 1970s BPO/Karajan. Both superb.
            "The sound is the handwriting of the conductor" - Bernard Haitink

            Comment

            • Eine Alpensinfonie
              Host
              • Nov 2010
              • 20575

              #7
              Originally posted by Petrushka View Post
              I've hopefully counted them all and it turns out to be 31. To be honest I thought it was more until I came across duplications between boxes (eg Jansons and Jochum).

              Don Juan was the very first item I heard at a live classical concert (RPO/Kempe, May 1972) so it has a special place in my affections. Incidentally, there is/was a recording by Kempe and the RPO that I don't see on the list. It was recorded in May 1964 and originally issued on Readers Digest. There was a Chesky CD issue (coupled with an unexpectedly fine Symphonie Fantastique with the RPO and Massimo Freccia, of whom I've never otherwise come across). This same Kempe recording of Don Juan was also included in a Scribendum box, 'The Art of Rudolf Kempe'.

              Despite having so many recordings there are two that, for me, stand out from the pack: Staatskapelle Dresden/Kempe and the 1970s BPO/Karajan. Both superb.
              I think the RPO Kempe may still be available. Sometimes the Presto website (which is generally excellent) doesn’t specify the specific orchestra for individual works.

              Comment

              • cloughie
                Full Member
                • Dec 2011
                • 22205

                #8
                [QUOTE=Petrushka;899511]I've hopefully counted them all and it turns out to be 31. To be honest I thought it was more until I came across duplications between boxes (eg Jansons and Jochum).

                Don Juan was the very first item I heard at a live classical concert (RPO/Kempe, May 1972) so it has a special place in my affections. Incidentally, there is/was a recording by Kempe and the RPO that I don't see on the list. It was recorded in May 1964 and originally issued on Readers Digest. There was a Chesky CD issue (coupled with an unexpectedly fine Symphonie Fantastique with the RPO and Massimo Freccia, of whom I've never otherwise come across). This same Kempe recording of Don Juan was also included in a Scribendum box, 'The Art of Rudolf Kempe'.


                Massimo Filippo Antongiulio Maria Freccia (19 September 1906 – 16 November 2004) was an Italian American conductor. He had an international reputation but never held a post as music director of a major orchestra or opera house. Unusually for an Italian, he built his career around symphonic music rather than opera.

                I've only seen his recordings on Readers Digest recordings.

                I counted my Don Juans at 70 and a similar number of Till Eulenspiegls - many but not all on the same CDs.

                Comment

                • Pulcinella
                  Host
                  • Feb 2014
                  • 11113

                  #9
                  Originally posted by cloughie View Post

                  ...

                  I counted my Don Juans at 70 and a similar number of Till Eulenspiegls - many but not all on the same CDs.
                  Are you going to count them again when you're 75, cloughie?

                  Comment

                  • cloughie
                    Full Member
                    • Dec 2011
                    • 22205

                    #10
                    Originally posted by Pulcinella View Post
                    Are you going to count them again when you're 75, cloughie?
                    A merry prank Pulc! Maybe I need 5 more conquests!

                    Comment

                    • Barbirollians
                      Full Member
                      • Nov 2010
                      • 11759

                      #11
                      Originally posted by cloughie View Post
                      A merry prank Pulc! Maybe I need 5 more conquests!
                      I could be wrong but this seems like another work making a relatively quick reappearance on BAL.

                      Comment

                      • smittims
                        Full Member
                        • Aug 2022
                        • 4388

                        #12
                        Klemperer for me. I think he catches the swagger of the character exactly.

                        As for Bernstein, well, I think he wanted to be a master interpreter of Strauss, but the two men were so different that there was an unsuperable barrier of which Lenny himself may not even have been aware.

                        All I've read about Strauss suggests that he was a difficult man to sum up. At times he liked to present to the world a persona which was misleading or open to misinterpretation. Elgar did this too in later life .

                        Comment

                        • Barbirollians
                          Full Member
                          • Nov 2010
                          • 11759

                          #13
                          Originally posted by smittims View Post
                          Klemperer for me. I think he catches the swagger of the character exactly.

                          As for Bernstein, well, I think he wanted to be a master interpreter of Strauss, but the two men were so different that there was an unsuperable barrier of which Lenny himself may not even have been aware.

                          All I've read about Strauss suggests that he was a difficult man to sum up. At times he liked to present to the world a persona which was misleading or open to misinterpretation. Elgar did this too in later life .
                          I am rather fond of Lenny's Rosenkavalier .

                          Comment

                          • smittims
                            Full Member
                            • Aug 2022
                            • 4388

                            #14
                            Yes, I suppose that's an exception. I think he very much wanted to make that recording and even, I believe , had the Decca team brought in to do it. But then , he very much wanted to record with the VPO, a lifelong ambition. I aways feel that in his New York days Lenny was a big fish in a small pond (e.g. his Sibelius series), and often in his later European days he sounds more like the opposite (e.g. his Beethoven).

                            Comment

                            • cloughie
                              Full Member
                              • Dec 2011
                              • 22205

                              #15
                              Originally posted by smittims View Post
                              Yes, I suppose that's an exception. I think he very much wanted to make that recording and even, I believe , had the Decca team brought in to do it. But then , he very much wanted to record with the VPO, a lifelong ambition. I aways feel that in his New York days Lenny was a big fish in a small pond (e.g. his Sibelius series), and often in his later European days he sounds more like the opposite (e.g. his Beethoven).
                              Or maybe a big wasp on the big apple. The Decca sound on LP was always better than the more spiky CBS sound was was vastly improved when CDs were mastered from the originals and the few he did for Decca were excellent! However I don’t agree with you as most of his NY performances - I have most of them on the Royal edition acquired at reduced prices together with the blue containers from Tandy’s Records in Five Ways, Birmingham just before they sadly closed.

                              Comment

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