Topic: Richard Strauss's house

[Mirror Image]

A lovely featurette on Eine Alpensifonie:

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/mh6tR-7J93E" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/mh6tR-7J93E</a>

I wish it went into more depth a la Tilson Thomas’ Keeping Score series, but I’m still crossing my fingers that a worthy Strauss documentary comes along that does this composer’s music and life justice like those wonderful John Bridcut BBC documentaries on composers like Vaughan Williams and Britten.

[Maestro267]

"Adobe Flash Player is no longer supported"

[North Star]

A lovely featurette on Eine Alpensifonie:

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/mh6tR-7J93E" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/mh6tR-7J93E</a>

I wish it went into more depth a la Tilson Thomas’ Keeping Score series, but I’m still crossing my fingers that a worthy Strauss documentary comes along that does this composer’s music and life justice like those wonderful John Bridcut BBC documentaries on composers like Vaughan Williams and Britten.

There you go.

[Mirror Image]

"Adobe Flash Player is no longer supported"

Even though Flash Player is no longer supported, I can still post videos and those videos are visible to me. I suppose they aren’t for others? It seems when you post a YouTube video on here, you get this long address that mentions within that address flash being disabled.

[Brian]

Just noticed the Pentatone label has three different Alpensinfonien from the last 15 years -



Recorded in 2008, 2016, 2019

A few thoughts:

(a) is this indicative of a resurgent interest in the piece in general? In the mid-1900s it was considered one of Strauss' least popular orchestral works.
(b) should the label be called Alpentone?
(c) putting all the images next to each other indicates a clear design aesthetic shift toward radical simplicity, like eventually their covers will just be the word MUSIC and a drawing of a single line

Although I haven't compared them yet, only the 2008 Pittsburgh recording offers a coupling (and only it doesn't involve German radio).

[Mirror Image]

Just noticed the Pentatone label has three different Alpensinfonien from the last 15 years -



Recorded in 2008, 2016, 2019

A few thoughts:

(a) is this indicative of a resurgent interest in the piece in general? In the mid-1900s it was considered one of Strauss' least popular orchestral works.
(b) should the label be called Alpentone?
(c) putting all the images next to each other indicates a clear design aesthetic shift toward radical simplicity, like eventually their covers will just be the word MUSIC and a drawing of a single line

Although I haven't compared them yet, only the 2008 Pittsburgh recording offers a coupling (and only it doesn't involve German radio).

It does seem that Pentatone likes this work, but it's no different than a label that has recorded Beethoven's 9th for the umpteenth time. In fact, Eine Alpensinfonie is greatly encouraged from me! Anyway, I don't find it strange that the label has three of them in their catalog. Of these three recordings, the Janowski is "okay" nothing special, but the Orozco-Estrada is magnificent in every possible sense of the word. I haven't heard the Jurowski yet (even though I own it, it's still sealed).

[MusicTurner]

The 'Alpensinfonie' has always been one of the main classical hits among hi-fi/sound-display interested people. This has secured a certain market for it. I don't know however, if internet pluralism (as opposed to the old magazine/book-centered era) has perhaps reduced its position somewhat.

[Symphonic Addict]

It does seem that Pentatone likes this work, but it's no different than a label that has recorded Beethoven's 9th for the umpteenth time. In fact, Eine Alpensinfonie is greatly encouraged from me! Anyway, I don't find it strange that the label has three of them in their catalog. Of these three recordings, the Janowski is "okay" nothing special, but the Orozco-Estrada is magnificent in every possible sense of the word. I haven't heard the Jurowski yet (even though I own it, it's still sealed).

Speaking of Alpines, I'm just listening to DG's Sinopoli recording. Holy smokes, what a dessert of a work-piece how it is performed here!

This is impossibly more hedonistic and decadent as any other performance I've ever heard before!?. Luxurious, elegant, sumptuous, 4K rendition!

The Italian equivalent to Barbirolli?

Man, this rendition is quite a bit exaggerated in gestures for sure! Also, I hasten to add, if you don't get the work with this rendition, nothing could do it.

[Mirror Image]

Speaking of Alpines, I'm just listening to DG's Sinopoli recording. Holy smokes, what a dessert of a work-piece how it is performed here!

This is impossibly more hedonistic and decadent as any other performance I've ever heard before!?. Luxurious, elegant, sumptuous, 4K rendition!

The Italian equivalent to Barbirolli?

Man, this rendition is quite a bit exaggerated in gestures for sure! Also, I hasten to add, if you don't get the work with this rendition, nothing could do it.

I was just listening to the Sinopoli recording of Alpensinfonie the other night and I agree, Cesar. Sinopoli was in his element in Strauss.

[Daverz]

Listening to this favorite Don Quixote -- a big, juicy, colorful recording -- I find that David Hurwitz's knock on Karajan -- that he lets the strings drown out the winds in "tutti" passages -- is true.  The Berlin solo winds are glorious, of course, but in tutti passages the creamy strings almost drown out what the winds are doing, though not completely (as far as I can tell as I wouldn't know they were there otherwise).  I do enjoy those creamy strings as much as anyone would, though.  I'll have to compare later with another favorite, Kempe/Berlin, on a Tower Japan SACD.

[André]

Listening to this favorite Don Quixote -- a big, juicy, colorful recording -- I find that David Hurwitz's knock on Karajan -- that he lets the strings drown out the winds in "tutti" passages -- is true.  The Berlin solo winds are glorious, of course, but in tutti passages the creamy strings almost drown out what the winds are doing, though not completely (as far as I can tell as I wouldn't know they were there otherwise).  I do enjoy those creamy strings as much as anyone would, though.  I'll have to compare later with another favorite, Kempe/Berlin, on a Tower Japan SACD.

Today I listened to the Clemens Krauss / VPO recording (also with Pierre Fournier) with delight and not a little wonder. The winds are succulent and highly personable. Despite the 1953 mono recording one hears wind balances that are always true. Fournier is at his most unabashedly romantic self, digging and gliding at will on his instrument. Not a first choice as it is almost over the top compared to today’s more objective POV, but certainly an ear opener for those who think Don Q is not Strauss at his finest.

[VonStupp]

Cross-posted from the WAYLTN thread:

Richard Strauss
Taillefer, op. 52
Wandrers Sturmlied, op. 14
Die Tageszeiten, op. 76

Felicity Lott, soprano
Johan Botha, tenor
Michael Volle, baritone
Ernst-Senff Chorus
Dresden Philharmonic
Michel Plasson

This is my first time hearing these R. Strauss symphonic choral works:

Taillefer

An 11th Century minstrel who rode into battle alongside William the Conqueror during the Norman invasion of England. According to legend, Taillefer sang at the Battle of Hastings whilst juggling his sword and singly riding to the English line amidst song.

An extremely militaristic cantata with one rip-snorter of an orchestral battle sequence in the last third of its 18 minutes. Taillefer is a loud clamorous work with full-throated singing and the only solo singing on the recording.

Wandrers Sturmlied
Another full-to-the-hilt orchestrated choral work, although the second half of the 17 minutes affords some overwrought Romantic lyricism following the choral storm. Split into six-part chorus, Wandrers Sturmlied sounds a like an unrelenting, harrowing work for chorus. It brings to mind Brahms' orchestrated choral works such as Triumphlied or Gesang der Parzen.

Die Tageszeiten
This is the jewel of the recording. Written for men's chorus and orchestra, Tageszeiten is the most successful of voice-to-orchestra integration of the three here. At times, the chorus almost becomes an orchestral voice and the two forces receive equal measure texturally. The 2nd movement 'Mittagsruh' had some unexpectedly, emotionally powerful climaxes, despite its more relaxed atmosphere. Richard Strauss evokes the Evening and Night most colorfully, and this 4-movement work really caught me off guard as something quite special.
https://youtu.be/tj-RTRfUV-k?t=232

A fine recording all around, and it was a welcome surprise to my month's focus on R. Strauss' orchestral music. I wasn't familiar with any of these works, and while it might not be music from Strauss that is essential, oh boy, did I enjoy myself! I look forward to living with these for a while.

VS

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/tj-RTRfUV-k?&amp;ab_channel=LeoMarillier" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/tj-RTRfUV-k?&amp;ab_channel=LeoMarillier</a>

[Symphonic Addict]

The CD above has meant tons of pleasure to me lately. Two utterly accomplished suites that extract brilliant and meaningful passages from both operas.

[VonStupp]

The CD above has meant tons of pleasure to me lately. Two utterly accomplished suites that extract brilliant and meaningful passages from both operas.

An exceptional recording I played some two weeks back. I was particularly keen on hearing the Elektra Suite and was not disappointed.

VS

[Symphonic Addict]

An exceptional recording I played some two weeks back. I was particularly keen on hearing the Elektra Suite and was not disappointed.

VS

Great! Even though I prefer the whole operas, there's no way to deny the goods of the symphonic synthesis.

[VonStupp]

Great! Even though I prefer the whole operas, there's no way to deny the goods of the symphonic synthesis.

Agreed. Much of the fun of these sorts of things is seeing how it is put together from its sources.

VS

[Mapman]

Some notes on comparing Also Sprach Zarathustra recordings that I originally posted in current listening:

I don't want to listen to Also Sprach Zarathustra two more times tonight, so I will compare the introduction and Tanzlied. I'm streaming all 3 recordings from the Naxos Music Library to try to make the comparison fair.

In the introduction, I think I like Nelsons better than Kempe. The trumpet tone is better, and Nelsons makes more of the decrescendos and crescendos written in the score. I think the modern sound quality is also an advantage. The Karajan is probably the most exciting opening: the trumpets are the softest at the initial entrance, and the tutti entrance is surprising. Karajan doesn't decrescendo as much as Nelsons.

In the Tanzlied, I think Nelsons and Karajan are of similar quality. There are particular moments that I prefer in one or the other, but I overall think that Nelsons' tempo choices make it flow better. However the solo violin in Leipzig sometimes gets a little buried. Kempe seems to have the good qualities of both, but with slightly lower sound quality.

Based on these excerpts, I think my order of preference would be Karajan>Nelsons>Kempe, with the Kempe lower only because of the sound quality. All 3 are excellent recordings, so I see no problem with your choice of gold standards. However, I didn't expect Nelsons to be this competitive: I'm pleasantly surprised at how good it is. (Of course, other people who may have been listening to Strauss for much longer than I have might disagree!)