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2.0 out of 5 stars
An interesting misfire, Aug 6 2002
Every now and then a great musician miscasts himself by taking on repertoire he probably should have avoided. Boulez is just such a musician, and Richard Strauss' "Also sprach Zarathustra" is just such a piece. I can understand in theory why the great French conductor was drawn to the work: His identification with Wagner would, I suppose, translate into a curiosity (if nothing else) about Bruckner and Strauss, two of Wagner's successors in Austro-Germanic Late Romanticism. Furthermore, "Zarathustra" is the most "philosophical" of the Strauss tone-poems. (We already know about Boulez's identification with the music of Mahler as a precursor of modernism.) Boulez's live Bruckner Eighth, released a couple of years ago, was compelling if not always idiomatic, but his rendition of Strauss is off-base. Way off-base. To me, it sounds as though half the score didn't interest Boulez, so he simply plows through those sections without paying much attention to them. Where Boulez does seem engaged enough to shape the score, the attacks, balances and phrasing sound drained of expression or feeling (except for the ardent violin solo in the "Dance-Song," which really sounds out of place). The result is like Romanticism on novocaine. I guess Boulez was trying to give us Strauss without the 101 Strings approach of Karajan, but Fritz Reiner already did that 45 years ago without turning the Chicago Symphony into a band of zombies. Even the recorded sound is murky and rolled-off at the top. However, the coupling, Mahler's "Totenfeier" (the rarely-played first version of what became the opening movement of his "Resurrection" Symphony) is worth hearing and benefits from more committed playing.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Outstanding!, April 25 2002
Another great recording by Pierre Boulez and the Chicago Symphony! Compared with my other favorite recording of Also Sprach Zarathustra (Previn in Vienna on Telarc) which is astronomical in proportion, Boulez's rendition, by contrast, is earthy and gritty. The Chicago Symphony captures the sounds of the Dawn of Man as if from the sludge. The opening sunburst is not overdone - with the result that there is less of a disconnect between the impressive explosion at the beginning and the lyricism of what follows. Boulez's controlled approach with the opening allows the climaxes throughout the remainder of the piece to become all the more important and satisfactory. The sound is immediate and the Chicago Symphony sounds like a million. The addition of Mahler's Totenfeier (opening to the 2nd Symphony "Resurrection") makes an excellent companion. A great disc whether you're a fan of Strauss, Mahler or both. An outstanding showcase!
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Strauss as Strauss and not Strauss as a hi-fi demonstration., Aug 3 2000
For far too long Strauss' famous tone poem has been treated more as a hi-fi demonstration with the music being incidental. Boulez's recording happily takes us back to the music. Boulez's perchance for detail and clarity have often led to cold and sterile performances but that is not the case here. The hot house late romanticism of the score finds Boulez in a a very passionite mood while the score's more subdued parts have a warm autumnal glow. A solid and refreshingingly different view of a score that all too often has been turned into a cliche.The companion piece on the album is no mere filler. Mahler's Todtenfeier was originally written as a symphonic poem. It was later reworked as the 1st movement of the 2nd Symphony. Amazon's heading is not quite accurate as it is not the 1st movement of the 2nd but a seperate work that would later be slightly reworked into the symphony.. Todtenfeier is a bit longer and its orchestration different (Mahler would later increase the winds). Its sound is a bit leaner than its later reincarnation and shows the inluence of Berlioz on Mahler. Again a very passionite performance by Boulez. To say the least the Chicago Symphony as ever is in top form while DGG provides sound that lets the music breathe without needless highlighting.
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