Richard Strauss: Orchestral music

[Barbirollians]

Kempe's box is very fine and a great way in to these works . I am pleased to have Barbirolli's Ein Heldenleben and Metamorphosen too . Isserlis is very good in Don Quixote too I think.

My favourite Metamorphosen is another vote for the VPO/Previn - masterful and immensely moving . There is almost another layer of meaning to the work conducted by Previn of German Jewish descent .

[LeMartinPecheur]

The 'complete' Kempe is the foundation of my Strauss orchestral collection but I'm slowly adding all those magnificent Reiner discs too. The wind music has been mentioned and there's a complete(?) 2-CD survey here http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_...s+klaus+scholl

For totally OTT uber-orgasmic brass writing do try Festmusik der Stadt Wien: you'll either love it or hate it!

[amateur51]

While I would cheerfully consign most of Richard Strauss's orchestral oeuvre (songs excepted) to Room 101/the Burning Fiery Furnace/Dante's innermost circle of hell, I wouldn't want to be without Kempe's Don Quixote but the earlier 1958 Berlin Philharmonic recording (with Tortelier) rather than that from Dresden.

[amateur51]

The editorials express how I feel about this recorded repertoire, too. But Heldenlebens by Beecham (his first), Mengelberg and Barbirolli would join them (and Reiner and Szell did some excellent recordings, too).


To which the only response is a Pythonesque "You, lucky, lucky ... " What a start to a concert-going life!

In complete agreement with those Ein Heldenlebens, ferney plus von Karajan's 1959 recording

[Richard Tarleton]

Many of my most treasured recordings already mentioned, inc. ferney's 4LS with Janowitz (coupled on my CD with Metamorphosen and Tod), Kempe/Tortelier DQ (Dresden), Reiner/Janigro DQ and several others.

EA, Ein H, DQ, Also Sprach I love dearly. Several versions of some. Tod for some reason makes me slightly queasy - can't quite put my finger on it - and I've never got to grips with Sinf. Domestica. I never play Till as it comes on R3 too often.

Caliban did you sample Tate/ECO Metamorphosen along with others?

Can anyone recommend a performance of the oboe concerto?

[Julien Sorel]

Can anyone recommend a performance of the oboe concerto?

Heinz Holliger (also conducting) / Chamber Orchestra of Europe (coupled with a fine Metamorphosen. But I don't like opulent performances of the latter and Holliger's is quite spare, austere). Best prices I can find http://www.amazon.de/Strauss-Oboe-Co...4374823&sr=1-6

[Richard Tarleton]

Heinz Holliger (also conducting) / Chamber Orchestra of Europe (coupled with a fine Metamorphosen. But I don't like opulent performances of the latter and Holliger's is quite spare, austere). Best prices I can find http://www.amazon.de/Strauss-Oboe-Co...4374823&sr=1-6

Thanks - I like austere too

[teamsaint]

The Four Last Songs (Soprano & orchestra) - as near to heaven as we're likely to get. (And with Herbie & the Berlin Band supporting Gundula Janowitz *, closer than I'm ever likely to get! Other versions are readily available, many of them very good indeed.)



( * = the emoticon is actually part of the spelling of her name. It's like a sort of umlaut.)

well if a man can't risk £1.66 on a recommendation like that, when will he ever?!

look forward to hearing this very much.

[salymap]

I admit I haven't read all of this but #1 states that RS died in 1945.

Actually I think it was 1948 as I saw him at the RAH, either in 1947 or early 48, standing beside the conductor,[?]. I was told later that there was a Strauss Festival and that's why he was here.

Couldn't hear what he was saying but he was bending the conductor's ear as he queried things.

I'd just started going to rehearsals at 17 and didn't realise he was so important then

[Barbirollians]

well if a man can't risk £1.66 on a recommendation like that, when will he ever?!

look forward to hearing this very much.

It is a gorgeous performance but Janowitz to my ears had one of the most beautiful soprano voices in recorded history and her Countess for Bohm is magnificent - her Porgi Amor would definitely be on my desert island list.

[Richard Tarleton]

Actually I think it was 1948 as I saw him at the RAH, either in 1947 or early 48, standing beside the conductor,[?]. I was told later that there was a Strauss Festival and that's why he was here.

Couldn't hear what he was saying but he was bending the conductor's ear as he queried things.

I'd just started going to rehearsals at 17 and didn't realise he was so important then

Saly could the conductor have been Georg Solti?. There is a nice bit of film of Solti and Strauss at a rehearsal in London, Strauss taking the baton, GS pointing out where the sections were as Strauss' eyesight was poor...here's a still from it, can't find the film



There is a touching description of their first meetings at Garmisch in Solti's memoirs, and of course he conducted at Strauss's funeral.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

It is a gorgeous performance but Janowitz to my ears had one of the most beautiful soprano voices in recorded history and her Countess for Bohm is magnificent - her Porgi Amor would definitely be on my desert island list.

There aren't s enough!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gz3jBUmzqlQ

[Richard Tarleton]

There aren't s enough!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gz3jBUmzqlQ

Not to mention her Grafin from Capriccio, with Bohm, her Fiordiligi with, er, Bohm....

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Actually, Solti and Janowitz don't seem to agree on tempo a couple of times in the last youTube video - this is even better:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhdK-_NEXMs

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Saly, you really should write your memoirs. You must has seen/met more great musicians than anyone around today.