Eine Alpensinfonie / Alpine Symphony - your favourite version

[MichaelRabin]

Karajan's DG recording is a wonderful performance which is marred by poorly engineered digital sound from the very early days of digital recording.  There is a Sony video of a live performance by Karajan which is a more satisfying.   Bohm has a worthy recording, though in mono.

Agreed - I have the remastered Karajan Sony DVD too. Bohm's mono, which I have heard is in mono and the Alpine needs great sound.

[kishnevi]

 

Always wanted to try the newer Zinman/Arte Nova series, placed an order today for the very cheap 2004 Alpine Symphony CD, if it sounds good may pick up entire box

I have the box.  Some of it is first rate (Heldenleben and Don Quixote are my favorites), and none of falls below solid workmanship, so for the price you can't go wrong; plus it has a few works (Serenade for Wind Instruments, Macbeth, Parergon) that seem to have fallen by the wayside.  Disc 5 consists of Metamorphosen, the Four Last Songs (with Melanie Diener), and the Oboe Concerto, which raises the question why at least some of the other songs with orchestra and the Horn Concertos were left out.

[Air]

There is a new remastered Karajan 2CD Strauss set from 2003 with Alpine Symphony that may improve sound, have not heard it myself and still have the older DG Gold version..........

I have the remastered set and the sound quality is actually quite good.  Apparently it is much better than the older DG Gold version (which I haven't heard myself)

Anyways, Karajan wins for me.  I think I like his Alpensinfonie best of all his Strauss tone poem recordings.

[bhodges]

My two faves at the moment are Haitink/Concertgebouw and Blomstedt/San Francisco, both for similar reasons: excellent playing and pacing, and more-than-excellent sound quality.  I agree that Karajan's version should have less "digital edge" (haven't heard the remastered one). 

I also like the version conducted by Strauss himself, which shows him as quite an accomplished conductor.  The sound (on Dutton), while about as good as it could be given the age, is still not really adequate to capture the piece, so I don't listen to it all that often.  But anyone who loves the composer and/or the piece should hear it at least once. 

--Bruce

[DarkAngel]

   

This has to be one of the very first DG digital DDD recordings from 12/1980 for original release, and there explains the curse of early digital sound

The Karajan Gold version 1993 was remixed with original bit image processing, DG now calls this process The Originals and has many releases. It was remastered again in 2003 as part of a 2CD Strauss set........

I have placed an order for 2CD set and will compare it to the 1993 Karajan Gold I have now, the performance is really great plus some nice extra pieces

[MishaK]

This:



Hands down the best. Terrific sense of narrative arc and absolutely gorgeously played.

[Scarpia]

This:

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61S1nug59pL._SL500_AA240_.jpg

Hands down the best. Terrific sense of narrative arc and absolutely gorgeously played.

Kudos to Sony for deleting this 2007 release from the catalog.   

[Renfield]

This:

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61S1nug59pL._SL500_AA240_.jpg

Hands down the best. Terrific sense of narrative arc and absolutely gorgeously played.

Yes indeed. It's a very poetic account. I've not heard Kempe (neither EMI, nor Testament) in the piece, and I do think Karajan had an unsurpassed feel of it as a journey, possibly due to his own mountain-climbing experience...

But on the whole, especially including sound (if we're only considering CD versions), I think Luisi is my top choice.

(Possibly influenced by my having heard him live with the Staatskapelle in Ein Heldenleben; another great recording, too.)


Of late, I also heard good things about Jansons' version, which I did buy, but only listened to once. Apart from being jaw-droppingly gorgeous, it just didn't feel as cohesive a narrative as Luisi's, or Karajan's (and potentially Kempe's).

[Sergeant Rock]

This:

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61S1nug59pL._SL500_AA240_.jpg

Hands down the best. Terrific sense of narrative arc and absolutely gorgeously played.

Mensch, thanks for reminding me of this. I saw Luisi and Dresden perform the work in Frankfurt in 2007. The CD is being offered now at mid-price in Germany.

Sarge

[DarkAngel]

Mensch, thanks for reminding me of this. I saw Luisi and Dresden perform the work in Frankfurt in 2007. The CD is being offered now at mid-price in Germany.
Sarge

Cautiously took a flyer on cheap used Luisi/Sony CD from Amazon......

I am skeptical that a relatively unknown conductor with very small recorded output can sweep the board in this work, but I will give it a shot because a few people here feel strongly about it

As far as Dresden Staatskapelle ties to Richard Strauss being strong selling point.......good case can be made for Kempe recordings 50 years ago, but now anyone who directly worked with Strauss back then has long passed away

[Renfield]

I am skeptical that a relatively unknown conductor with very small recorded output can sweep the board in this work, but I will give it a shot because a few people here feel strongly about it

As far as Dresden Staatskapelle ties to Richard Strauss being strong selling point.......good case can be made for Kempe recordings 50 years ago, but now anyone who directly worked with Strauss back then has long passed away

That is indeed the feasible theory. And if I hadn't heard them live (then subsequently on record), I would agree with your skepticism. However, they really are that good, both Luisi in terms of interpretative vision* and the orchestra in terms of that signature Dresden sound, the 'molten-gold' brass and breathtaking articulation, which surely must have been around since (before?) Strauss.

Suffice it to say, if Luisi was a relative unknown, he certainly isn't one now.


* Though I seem to recall Jens having a less-than stellar opinion of him. Or maybe just his Bruckner? Certainly, I liked his Bruckner 9th much less than I was hoping I would, even if it was as thought-provoking as anything he'd done in Dresden.

[Scarpia]

The CD is being offered now at mid-price in Germany.

The CD version seems to be available in some markets but not others.  The SACD seems be unavailable, except for a smattering of used or leftover copies at high prices.   

[mahler10th]

Oh yes.   

[DarkAngel]

John
Do you have any comments you can share on Jarvi.....

Now that you mentioned Jarvi/SNO.......
I was going to surprise people here, but few days ago I ordered used copy of this because Chandos sound in 1990s is so nice and Jarvi does long Sibelius tone poems so well I figured something like Alpine Symphony would be right up his alley


or newer version

[Renfield]

Oh yes.   

John, given the source, don't you mean 'oh aye'?

[mahler10th]

John, given the source, don't you mean 'oh aye'?

Aye.
The recording I have posted above was recorded in Dundee, Dec 86, Jan 87.  It runs to almost 50 minuites  , but in that time the Alpine Symphony really does become an Alpine Symphony...the sunrise is one of the most spectacular recordings I've ever heard, and the cadence and strength of the beginning never loses grip.  It is played to the note by the SNO, the recording is bright and spacious, but laden with the intimidation of a large and beautiful mountain.

Sheer glacial beauty.  I got it last year.

[Renfield]

Aye.
The recording I have posted above was recorded in Dundee, Dec 86, Jan 87.  It runs to almost 50 minuites  , but in that time the Alpine Symphony really does become an Alpine Symphony...the sunrise is one of the most spectacular recordings I've ever heard, and the cadence and strength of the beginning never loses grip.  It is played to the note by the SNO, the recording is bright and spacious, but laden with the intimidation of a large and beautiful mountain.

Sheer glacial beauty.  I got it last year.

Well, I've added it to my shopping basket, for one. Thank you. Any good new Alpensinfonie is a welcome new Alpensinfonie.

(New to my collection, that is.)

[Scarpia]

I recall no mention of this one.



Anyone heard it?

[Lethevich]

This got an enthusiastic review (and editor's choice) in the latest Gramophone. (Just throwing it out there )

[kishnevi]

This got an enthusiastic review (and editor's choice) in the latest Gramophone. (Just throwing it out there )

Whereas Classics Today (Victor Carr) was decidely unenthusiastic about this one--but very enthused about the Pittsburgh/Janowski version Scarpia asked about in the reply before yours.

So take your pick.  Or adopt my philosophy, and buy both