Richard Strauss: Orchestral music

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

The composer's own recordings are worth seeking out; some of them in rather poor sound which blurs the detail in places not necessarily a bad thing: Strauss commented at the end of his life that younger conductors were getting the "Battle Scene" from Heldenleben too precise - he wanted more of a muddle!

There's also some of the recordings from that 1947 Strauss Festival preserved:

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Testament/SBT21441

[Karafan]

Endorse all the comments re Kempe's EMI studio recordings and would add to that the superb Alpensinfonie with the RPO (Kingsway Hall recording) now on Testament (Kenneth 'Wilkie' Wilkinson works his magic at the knobs and with a combination like that on the podium and at the mixing desks, how could it possibly fail?) http://www.amazon.co.uk/Horn-Concert...4422410&sr=8-2

Also the splendid live Dresden radio broadcast recordings from March 1974 (now on Haenssler Profil). http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B...?ie=UTF8&psc=1 This is a magnificent Heldenleben with Kempe caught on the wing, and the Prélude à l'Après-midi d'un faune is langorous and intoxicating and is always the recording I turn to even in preference to HvK's exalted reading from the 1960s on DG. The Schumann is not to be sniffed at either....

K.

[Stanfordian]

thanks Mr P for flagging that up.
provided me with a good evenings entertainment. The documentary piece was less good than one might hope,(although worth seeing) but I enjoyed the performance a great deal.

Bruckner 8 tomorrow. Hurrah !!

Hiya teamsaint,

I've also been watching the Nagano programme about the Alpine Symphony on Sky Arts. I have a number of the excellent recordings by the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin with Gunter Wand conducting from 1987/95. I saw the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin twice last September in Berlin and they were in quite wonderful form under their new Principal Conductor and Artistic Director Tugan Sokhiev.

[teamsaint]

Hiya teamsaint,

I've also been watching the Nagano programme about the Alpine Symphony on Sky Arts. I have a number of the excellent recordings by the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin with Gunter Wand conducting from 1987/95. I saw the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin twice last September in Berlin and they were in quite wonderful form under their new Principal Conductor and Artistic Director Tugan Sokhiev.

Did you watch the performance, Stan? any thoughts? i am pretty new to the work, and it sounded great to me, but would be interested in your opinion.
Nagano certainly looked like a man who would find it difficult to find more enjoyable work !

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

At the risk of being accused of plugging Sky, Kent Nagano is conducting the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin in the Alpine Symphony tonight at 8pm on Sky Arts 2, preceded by a look at the work at 7pm.

No need to apologise for that. I suspect that all Sky Arts did was to broadcast the Arthaus Musik DVD including the "extras". But why do the camera people have to draw attention to themselves by turning the orchestra upside down during the thunderstorm.
Sorry, I was trying to keep off this particular work on this thread.
I'll go away now.

[Barbirollians]

Norman del Mar made sadly few recordings of Strauss .His Also Sprach Zarathustra that was on CfP is very fine indeed.

[Petrushka]

Thanks, HS. Could NDM have acted as Beecham's assistant at the 1947 Strauss Festival, do you know? He might well have been the conductor sals saw discussing a score with the composer.

It's many years since I read Norman del Mar's Strauss biography but I am pretty sure that he does mention that he was Beecham's assistant at the 1947 Strauss Festival. Those three volumes are a fascinating read and I was lucky to read them at the same time as Kempe's first box came out (1973). I learnt an awful lot about the programmatic content of the Alpine and Don Quixote particularly and how it all relates to the music. What is so striking is how often Strauss's wonderful sense of humour is reflected in these scores, especially Don Q. Listening to them 40 years on, del Mar's analysis always comes to mind.

I saw the books again in the Oxfam shop in Oxford a couple years ago. Wonder if they are still there?

[richardfinegold]

I have the complete Kempe/Dresden set and agree with JLW - it is wonderful. I have always had a soft spot for the two horn concertos (written nearly 60 years apart!) - learnt via the legendary Brain recordings, but Pyatt is also very good and I even enjoy Damm's permanent soft-focus wobble for Kempe . Also, the symphonic wind pieces (serenade, suite and symphony) are worth exploring as they are less often performed but contain much charming music - the COE winds made a fine recording under Heinz Holliger for Philips in the early 1990s.

The Kempe set is great, but for Metamorphasen I prefer Blomstedt with the same Orchestra. Szell's Strauss, particularly Don Quixote, is outstanding.

[Roehre]

It's many years since I read Norman del Mar's Strauss biography .... Those three volumes are a fascinating read and I was lucky to read them at the same time as Kempe's first box came out (1973). I learnt an awful lot about the programmatic content of the Alpine and Don Quixote particularly and how it all relates to the music. What is so striking is how often Strauss's wonderful sense of humour is reflected in these scores, especially Don Q. Listening to them 40 years on, del Mar's analysis always comes to mind.

that makes two of us -albeit that in my case Strauss arrived in 1976 and I borrowed the Del-Mar-set in 1977 (and bought a reprint mid1980s). (wondering whether a youngster would be so lucky to find these important books in any library these days)

[Nick Armstrong]

that makes two of us -albeit that in my case Strauss arrived in 1976 and I borrowed the Del-Mar-set in 1977 (and bought a reprint mid1980s). (wondering whether a youngster would be so lucky to find these important books in any library these days)

Three! I asked for and received the three books (in a handsome black cardboard cover) for Christmas during my big RS phase (late 80s I think). I often go back to them.

[mercia]

Could NDM have acted as Beecham's assistant at the 1947 Strauss Festival, do you know?

this obituary to NDM says he conducted Macbeth and the Fantasia from DFoS at the Strauss Festival

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-norman-del-mar-1392549.html

[salymap]

I'm not sure. I was still at school in 1947, but I suppose it is quite possible but I don't believe that NDM was second horn in the RPO at that time.

Sorry!

HS

BTW The 1947 recording of Heldenleben not only featured Dennis Brain but also that fine violinist (and bit of a rogue) Oscar Lampe. The duet towards the end would take your breath away with its sheer beauty.

Well I hadn't started work but had a spell when I went to a lot of rehearsals with an old school friend,then at Trinity College of Music.
Itreally doesn't matter but we were seated in G block stalls at the RAH and Strauss was standing blocking the view of th conductor. I plump for Beecham, but can't swear to it.

I'm going to listen to lots of Strauss CDs today as he's one of my favourites.

[amateur51]

At the risk of being accused of plugging Sky, Kent Nagano is conducting the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin in the Alpine Symphony tonight at 8pm on Sky Arts 2, preceded by a look at the work at 7pm.

Nice cheap evening's broadcasting, it appears ...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Monumente-Klassik-Nagano-Strauss-Alpensinfonie/dp/B000VMSMLQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1364465702&sr=1-1

Very glad everyone enjoyed it

[amateur51]

For release in April, 'live' performances by Kempe and Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR of Strauss' Also Sprach Zarathustra and Bartok's Miraculous Mandarin op. 19 Symphonic Suite for Orchestra

http://www.mdt.co.uk/bartok-strauss-kempe-conducts-hanssler.html

[Karafan]

For release in April, 'live' performances by Kempe and Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR of Strauss' Also Sprach Zarathustra and Bartok's Miraculous Mandarin op. 19 Symphonic Suite for Orchestra

http://www.mdt.co.uk/bartok-strauss-...-hanssler.html

Cheers, Amy!