Top 5 Favorite R. Strauss Works

[Cato]

Choosing #1 is easy:

Elektra

Difficult after that:

Vier Letzte Lieder

Metamorphosen

Eine Alpensinfonie

Also Sprach Zarathustra



Honorable mention:

Festliches Praeludium!  (Sort of Gebrauchsmusik before Hindemith)

https://www.youtube.com/v/QRf-_Ageks4

[Mirror Image]

Choosing #1 is easy:

Elektra

Difficult after that:

Vier Letzte Lieder

Metamorphosen

Eine Alpensinfonie

Also Sprach Zarathustra



Honorable mention:

Festliches Praeludium!  (Sort of Gebrauchsmusik before Hindemith)

https://www.youtube.com/v/QRf-_Ageks4

No love for any of the other operas, Cato?

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Der Rosenkavalier
Ariadne auf Naxos
Salome
then....?  Will ponder a bit more....

PD

[Mirror Image]

Der Rosenkavalier
Ariadne auf Naxos
Salome
then....?  Will ponder a bit more....

PD

All fine works, PD, but, yes, do continue to think about your list.

[Biffo]

The works I have listened to most over the years -

Salome
Ein Heldenleben
Don Quixote
Also Sprach Zarathustra
Vier Letze Lieder

[Mirror Image]

The works I have listened to most over the years -

Salome
Ein Heldenleben
Don Quixote
Also Sprach Zarathustra
Vier Letze Lieder

Very nice list. Do you own recordings of Elektra, Der Rosenkavalier, Ariadne auf Naxos or Daphne?

[Mirror Image]

Okay, I'll try to be varied in genres:

Tod und Verklärung
Die Liebe der Danae
Violin concerto
Op 49 lieder
Metamorphosen

Chose less obvious examples from opera and lieder. Old Strauss himself considered the act 3 of Danae among the best music he ever wrote. I am inclined to agree. Libretto is poor, although I do feel bad at ridiculing it, after reading how often Strauss mocked poor Gregor's literary skills, often hurting his feelings.

An older post I know, but Strauss wasn't fond of Gregor at all and was only mean to him because he felt he had to 'settle' because Hugo von Hofmannsthal passed away, but also that further collaboration with Stefan Zweig during rise of the Nazi era made it impossible, so he was stuck with Gregor with whom Strauss met during the writing of Daphne --- Zweig collaborated with Gregor on the libretto.

[Biffo]

Very nice list. Do you own recordings of Elektra, Der Rosenkavalier, Ariadne auf Naxos or Daphne?

I have Elektra (Solti) and Ariadne (Karajan, Kempe and Levine (DVD), also Die Frau ohne Schatten (Solti). I don't care for Rosenkavalier.

[André]

Vier Letze Lieder
Don Quixote
Eine Alpensinfonie
Horn concerto no 1
Der Rosenkavalier - complete or just the Dance suite.

Also: Don Juan, the Festliches Praeludium for organ and orchestra, Elektra...

[Mirror Image]

I have Elektra (Solti) and Ariadne (Karajan, Kempe and Levine (DVD), also Die Frau ohne Schatten (Solti). I don't care for Rosenkavalier.

Very nice. I'd say that Bernstein's recording of Der Rosenkavalier (w/ Gwyneth Jones, Christa Ludwig, Lucia Popp et. al.) really changed my mind about this opera. It made me wish Bernstein conducted more of the operas. He was a natural in Strauss unlike Solti.