Richard Strauss Concert

 

 

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Those were the words of Richard Strauss himself when he saw the young conductor who later conducted at the composer's funeral. And now I have a little hope for Solti myself-- anyone who has read my reviews of his Wagner, Brahms and Mozart knows I'm not a big fan of the legendary maestro. However, I think Strauss might be Solti's "thing" (I also love his Beethoven). There are many highly recommendable one disc compilations for the first-time listener, the top two being Karajan's "Also Sprach Zarathustra"/ "Till Eulenspiegel"/"Don Juan"/"Salome Dances" and Fritz Reiner's "Living Stereo" disc with "Also Sprach" and "Ein Heldenleben." But this two disc "Richard Strauss Concert" is perhaps the most ideal-- featuring the five most popular tone poems ("Tod und Verklaerung" and "Don Quixote" could be added to that list) with three great orchestras. The Vienna Philharmonic performs "Ein Heldenleben" in a version that is in every way a success (of course Solti shines the brightest in the "Hero's Deeds of War" but Reiner Kuechl's playing is as beautiful as any in the solo violin's depictions of the hero's companion). The Chicago Symphony plays "Also Sprach Zarathustra," "Don Juan" and the most exciting "Till Eulenspiegel" I have ever heard. We can be assured that, under Solti's eye, they play all the right notes, even in the most cacophonous passages. The Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra is just the right orchestra to play "An Alpine Symphony," being from Strauss's home town of Munich (although Kempe conducting the Staatskapelle Dresden, the orchestra to whom the work was dedicated, ought to be issued as a single disc). In all five works, Solti emphasizes the "weirdness" of Strauss's sound, when he was seen as a revolutionary composer in the late 19th century. Dissonances are wrenched out of the players, sometimes at the expense of the beautiful melodic lines, but never without great excitement. The "Alpine Symphony", written much later, possesses these same qualities, even if Strauss had already "gone classical" with "Der Rosenkavalier." As we would expect from Solti, his balancing of the many layers of Strauss's orchestration is stunning (though Reiner in Chicago is more authoritative). In fact, I think this is what made Solti a great Straussian, whereas Karajan emphasized the creamy, opulent textures, with a degree of warmth that often eluded the Hungarian. The recording quality is extraordinary, although the clarity of these pieces is probably mostly Solti's doing, as in the rousing timpani strokes heard throughout the discs. Only "Ein Alpensinfonie" is less than a complete success, because the recording doesn't have as much weight and Solti's impatience is maybe a detriment-- but after the journey with Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic in golden digital sound, I suppose any version would seem a step down from the peak. At any rate, I would almost recommend this tremendous two disc set over any other for someone just coming to Strauss's music-- or for someone like myself who has had doubts about Solti's style of conducting.

Most of the performances on this CD are very exciting and satisfying from a musical standpoint. The CSO in the 70's combined with Solti produce energy in their readings that in my experience is rare either on recording or in live performance. It is worth it to point out that in the recording of Till, there is a huge blunder by the orchestra: in the passage leading up to the final death scene of the hero, a passage of very fast and difficult notes for the players, the orchestra actually gets lost, and for several bars, only a true cacophony of sound is heard. In a world of "perfect" recordings where every note is corrected, sometimes at the expense the musical integrity, such a passage would typically have been replaced with another take. However, the performers seem to have achieved rare heights of excitement, and aparently prefered to hear the music performed with enthusiasm even with errors rather than a conservative and unremarkable reading. Ultimately there is no single definitive recording of a piece, and we seek work of very high musical AND technical value. In the case of this recording, it's worth owning simply to hear performances of a rare kind.

Yes, Solti's Ein Heldenleben is powerful indeed and has merit on all fronts: tempo, power, sound...and the Zarathustra ranks up there as well...but I must disagree with Solti's interpretation of the Alpensinfonie. I was disturbed by the rushed approach, especially through some of the most beautiful legato passages and with his use of such an intrusive wind machine. The whiny sound of that machine really put me off, especially when it drowned out the orchestra. It didn't have all the punch and sublimnity that I know lies in this work, and for that, I would whole-heartedly recommend the Karajan on DG available in the Karajan Gold series sounding as sumptuous as ever. Solti for me has produced some of the most amazing recordings of the lp era (Rheingold, Gotterdammerung, Salome, Elektra, etc) but I find much of his work "streaky." When he is on, he is fantastic. When he is rushed and "off", it is a huge disappointment.

This set has its merits. Be advised that these readings are quirky, and should not be taken as definitive. There is a whole world of other recordings out there that would serve the music scores better. I recommed this set as a complement to other recordings, just to give an idea of what Sotli was (or was not) able to do with the various scores and different orchestras.

The price is a huge bonus for this set.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome performances
I agree with the last reviewer: the recording of Till, Zaratustra and Don Juan are excellent, as usual for any CSO/Solti work. Read more

Published on July 13 2000 by alessandro dosio

5.0 out of 5 stars if you like the big sound, this CD is hard to beat
Most potential buyers of this CD will want to hear the Heldenleben with the VPO and the Zarathustra, Don Juan and Till with the CSO. Read more

Published on Jun 23 2000 by Ray Barnes

5.0 out of 5 stars Beatiful Work of CSO and Vienna as well.
This CD probably has the best interpretation of Don Juan and Ein Heldenleben of any recording I have listened to. 5 Stars is an understatment!!

Published on July 9 1999

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