Strauss: Ein Heldenleben

On this CD:

1. Ein Heldenleben (A Hero's Life), tone poem for orchestra, Op. 40
Composed by Richard Strauss

Conducted by Mark Gorenstein

2. Der Rosenkavalier, opera: Waltz Sequences Second Sequence of Waltzes
Composed by Richard Strauss

Conducted by Mark Gorenstein

Tracks:

Sunrise - Fritz Reiner
Of The People Of The Unseen World - Fritz Reiner
Of The Great Longing - Fritz Reiner
Of Joys And Passions - Fritz Reiner
Dirge - Fritz Reiner
Of Science - Fritz Reiner
The Convalescent - Fritz Reiner
Dance Song And Night Song - Fritz Reiner
Night Wanderer's Song - Fritz Reiner
The Hero - John Weicher
The Hero's Adversaries - John Weicher
The Hero's Companion - John Weicher
The Hero's Battlefield - John Weicher
The Hero's Works Of Peace - John Weicher
The Hero's Retreat From The World And Fulfillment - John Weicher

Customer Reviews:

When Musicans were Musicians alas gone forever.......2007-07-10

Wonderfull zara,Musicanship beyond reproach.HSACD Analogue off the charts.Now my Gripe Heldenleben,along with Tod Und Verklarung Strauss's Greatest Orch Works,The Damn Trumpets and high Strings are blasting out too much.They Obscure all of the woderful canonic and Countrapuntal weaving of RS's themes(in this leitmotif heavy work)going on with the Horns,WW's and low strings,espically in the Hero's Battlefield(RS's greatest Orch acheivement).Kempe blends and balances this whole double coda section so marvelously and with more warmth,passion and musicality.Granted i'm hearing some things i've not heard in other versions,which is why i like many readings of a work.And on that basis plus for zara and the hsacd sound.. i recomend this CD.But i have to agree with the other reviews,that Reiner features the big dramatic over the top(sometimes cold)gesture over warmth and balance.Kempe is still the best for Tod and Heldenleben.

Great music!.......2007-06-13

Downloaded to my pc. Then ripped some
tunes for my MP3, which I use in the
gym. Good way to exercise listening
to good music. Quality is great!

WHAT A PERFORMANCE!.......2007-03-08

I couldn't agree with Mark or Larry less. I don't consider myself a Reiner cultist, but I found these performances of Strauss's bombastic hits driven and compelling. Frankly, I bought this CD to hear what an SACD release of a 50-year old recording would sound like and was quite impressed with the sound as well as the performance. In quiet passages, especially on the Heldenleben recording, there was audible hum (the reason for my 4-star vs. 5-star rating of this performance) but the clarity of the recording- even the violins, which are always the achilles heel of an orchestral recording, was remarkable given the vintage of the performance. Without considering the sound, however, this is a performance worth having and I'm glad I ]spent the ridiculously low price of less than $8 to own and enjoy it. I wouldn't hesitate recommending this recording.

Best Ein Heldenleben I have ever heard.......2007-01-22

Many people would be more interested in Zarathustra but I bought if for Heldenleben. I heard it on a streaming radio station and it was spectacular. The sound quality is amazing not to mention the performance.

I recommend it to anyone who likes R. Strauss as I do (my favorite classical composer).

I guess I just don't get the whole Reiner-worship cult.......2006-12-09

Let's see, I've owned these recordings on LP, cassette and at least 3 prior CD incarnations. I've dumped them all off in the past because I have never heard what so many others hear in these recordings. Where most hear demonstration-class recordings of a virtuosic band in a top-ranked interpretation, I hear a shallow, brittle and depth-less recording of a decent orchestra with less-than-sterling technical execution in a rather perfunctory interpretation by a fabled conductor.

Being so far off in my assessment when compared to received opinion, I've come to believe that there is something wrong with my ears. With that in mind, I picked up this recording/mastering for $5 at the Tower close-out yesterday, hoping to have my reaction to these recordings changed. Sorry to say I'm again gravely disappointed in these recordings on every level (as mentioned above).

If you really want to hear Richard Strauss in all his glory - both sound-wise and interpretively - than I suggest you turn to Karajan's non-digital DG recordings, Mehta's set with the LA Phil or Kempe's recordings on EMI (though I'm not fond of Kempe's Alpine Symphony).

I think I'm finally ready to give up on these over-rated recordings.

Average customer rating:

Good job
Masterful!
Great CD of Classical music's power pieces!

Time Life Presents: Classical Thunder

Manufacturer: Time Life Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Thunderous Classics
Thunder & Lightning
25 Thunderous Classics
Classical Thunder II: Time Life Library of Classical Favorites
Heavy Classix

ASIN: B00081U6XC
Release Date: 2005-04-26

Tracks:

Introduction
Ride Of The Valkyries
Mars, The Bringer Of War
Montagues And Capulets
Sabre Dance
William Tell Overture (Conclusion)
In The Hall Of The Mountain King
The Hut On Fowl's Legs
The Great Gate At Kiev
Fanfare For The Common Man
Allegro Con Brio
Marche Au Supplice (March To The Scaffold)
Sacrificial Dance (The Chosen One)
Circus Maximus
Les Toreadors
Finlandia, Op.26
1812 Overture, Op.49 (Conclusion)

Tracks:

Procession Of The Nobles
Rakoczy March
Ritual Fire Dance
The Hero's Battlefield
Pines Of The Appian Way
Dies Irae
Allegro Con Brio
Allegretto
Air Et Danse Bacchanale
Farandole
Infernal Dance Of King Kastchei
O Fortuna
The Wedding Of Kije
Hurricane
Marche Slave, Op.31

Customer Reviews:

Good job.......2005-08-26

I remember when I was little, I had this cd, but i lost it. I bought a similiar type of one through TIme Life and decided to try the Classical Thunder one. I have like it so far.

Masterful!.......2005-06-15

This two CD set is magnificent. I got the set in the early 1990's when it was advertised on television, along with other releases in Time Life's set. I was struck by the interpretations of the conductors. Whenever I hear these pieces now, I judge them against this recording. Amazing selection as well. There are staples of orchestra repetoire, like Beethoven symphonies, but also gems that are not heard very often, like the Rimsky-Korsakov "Procession of the Nobles." A very impressive recording.

Great CD of Classical music's power pieces!.......2005-06-07

I got this CD when I was around 16 because I loved a lot of the music on this double CD set. As a student pursuing a Music Education major, it has been a great asset for my musically, and just great for listening to. I will drive on short trips and take this with me and blast it louder than the guy in the next car blasting rap music. I also take it skiing as it sets a great tempo down the mountain. This is a great CD for anyone that loves music.

Strauss: Ein Heldenleben - Four Last Songs / Auger, Previn

Average customer rating:

Auger's and Previn's soaring Strauss
Another Last Songs for your collection.
One of the best Four Last Songs on CD
Fine Heldenleben, profoundly beautiful Four Last Songs

Strauss: Ein Heldenleben - Four Last Songs / Auger, Previn
Richard Strauss , Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra , Andre Previn , Arleen Auger , Hermann Hesse , and Joseph von Eichendorff
Manufacturer: Telarc
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Richard Strauss : Also Sprach Zarathustra / Previn, Vienna PO
Richard Strauss: Eine Alpensinfonie
Arleen Auger - Love Songs / Dalton Baldwin
Arleen Auger - Handel · Bach Arias / The Mostly Mozart Orchestra · Gerard Schwarz
Strauss: Four Last Songs, Arabella/Della Casa (Vier letzte Lieder)

ASIN: B000003CV6
Release Date: 2002-09-24

Tracks:

A Hero's Life, Op. 40
Fruling (Hesse)
September (Hesse)
Beim Schlafengehen (Hesse)
Im Abendrot (Eichendorff)

Amazon.com

The late Arleen Auger sings the Four Last Songs very touchingly, but this disc is really a showcase for André Previn and the Vienna Philharmonic. Previn has always been a fine Strauss conductor, and he is on record as saying that the four-disc set of Strauss tone poems that he recorded for Telarc is his personal favorite among his many recordings. It's easy to see why. The playing is alive with character. Previn keeps matters moving smartly, and Telarc lets nothing come between the listener and this magnificent orchestra. Strauss, for all his skill as a dramatic composer, has a weak sense of musical timing. He frequently never knew when to stop. With playing of this quality, you almost wish he never would. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews:

Auger's and Previn's soaring Strauss.......2007-02-12

I bought this CD primarily for Arleen Auger's version of the Vier Letzte Lieder and I was not disappointed. She sings them simply and allows her highly feminine voice to get right to the heart of the poetry and music. You will weep after listening to it! I did!

Another Last Songs for your collection........2003-05-12

Previn is understandably proud of his Strauss recordings. This recording includes Ein Heldenlaben and it compares favorably with the famous Reiner/CSO album from the '50's. The real show stopper here is the Songs, and I'm sure it'll be compared with the Karajan/Janowitz performance. For one thing,Auger's voice isn't as powerful(Some people call it "creamy",whatever that is.)as Janowitz's. Auger's voice has a more tender, human quality that's a pleasure to hear. For another,Previn's tempos are different than Karajan's. Im Adendrot,for instance,is a full minute slower than Karajan's But, you're gonna love that extra minute! It's truly majestic. The recorded sound is up to Telarc's high standard. There's something about it that makes you want to TURN IT UP. I'm not trading in my Karajan CD,but this one stays as well.

One of the best Four Last Songs on CD.......2002-06-30

The Ein Heldenlieben is a fine recording, but I am primarly recommending this disc because of the wonderful performance of the Four Last Songs. Previn and the Vienna Philharmonic achieve an incredible orchestral beauty and intensity, and Auger doesn't fudge a single note. I frequently play this recording multiple times in a single sitting just to make sure I am not dreaming. Very highly recommended.

Fine Heldenleben, profoundly beautiful Four Last Songs.......2000-09-08

Although perhaps not as known as Herbert von Karajan or Georg Solti for interpretations of Richard Strauss, Andre Previn also specializes in music by the late German Romantic composer. Although his interpretation of "Ein Heldenleben" (A Hero's Life) does not quite play with nuances in quite the same way as Karajan and Solti, Previn conducts a very fine interpretation with dedicated playing from the Vienna Philharmonic and an atmosphere of grandeur befitting this piece. Unfortunately, there are no track cues for the separate sections of Strauss' quasi-autobiographical, but ultimately tongue-in-cheek, tone poem.

As a side note, many people mistaken "Heldenleben" for an ego trip. Actually, it is Strauss' ironic play on the whole idea of artist as hero. (Strauss was into irony and self-parody long before it became popular among my contemporaries.) Although he considered himself as worthy a musical subject as "Napoleon or Alexander the Great," Strauss told his friend Romain Rolland, "I am not a hero. I haven't got the necessary strength; I am not cut out for battle; I prefer to withdraw, to be quiet, to have peace..." (For more, see Michael Kennedy's excellent 1999 biography "Richard Strauss: Man, Musician, Enigma.") Perhaps he intended most of "Heldenleben" to be ironic, but the pastoral conclusion may have resonated more deeply with him.

As an appropriate segue, Strauss' "Four Last Songs" (written nearly 50 years after "Heldenleben") follows the pastoral section of Strauss' irony-laced musical autobiography. I have yet to hear an interpretation that matches the spiritual beauty and intensity of theone on this recording. Kurt Masur's interpretation with Jessye Norman's golden voice may be beautiful, but it moves a bit too slowly. Although one would expect much from Karajan, his version with Gundula Janowitz seems to lack the dreamy twilight quality that makes these songs so special. Listening to Previn's interpretation with Arleen Auger as soloist, I feel like I've entered that dreamy twilight world. Never too fast nor too slow, Auger and the Vienna Philharmonic flow quite naturally with the music's "geist" under Previn's lead. This interpretation should put to rest the allegation that Strauss' music lacks a spiritual element. And like any true spiritual experience, words are inadequate to describe the profound beauty of this interpretation of Strauss' final gift to the world.

Strauss: Tone Poems
Average customer rating:

first-rate interpretations, second-rate recorded sound

Not worth it!!!!!!!

Wonderful Interpretation throughout.

Strauss: Tone Poems

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
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Schumann Piano Works

Schubert: 8 Symphonies

Richard Strauss: Eine Alpensinfonie

Mendelssohn: 5 Symphonies; 7 Overtures

Brahms: The Complete Symphonies / Karajan, Berlin PO

ASIN: B00002DF9N
Release Date: 2001-03-13

Tracks:

An Alpine Symphony, Op.64: Night - Sunrise - Berliner Philharmoniker
An Alpine Symphony, Op.64: The Ascent - Berliner Philharmoniker
An Alpine Symphony, Op.64: Entering The Wood - Berliner Philharmoniker
An Alpine Symphony, Op.64: Wandering By The Brook - By The Waterfall - Apparition - Berliner Philharmoniker
An Alpine Symphony, Op.64: Flowery Meadows - On The Mountain Pasture - On The Wrong Track Through Thickets And Undergrowth - On The Glacier - Berliner Philharmoniker
An Alpine Symphony, Op.64: Precarious moments - On The Summit - Vision - Berliner Philharmoniker
An Alpine Symphony, Op.64: Rising Mists - The Sun Gradually Dims - Elegy - Berliner Philharmoniker
An Alpine Symphony, Op.64: Calm Before The Storm - Berliner Philharmoniker
An Alpine Symphony, Op.64: Thunderstorm, Descent - Berliner Philharmoniker
An Alpine Symphony, Op.64: Sunset - Berliner Philharmoniker
An Alpine Symphony, Op.64: Epilogue - Night - Berliner Philharmoniker
Don Juan, Op.20: Tone Poem After Nikolaus Lenau - Berliner Philharmoniker
Waltzes From Act III - Berliner Philharmoniker

Tracks:

Thus Spake Zarathustra, Op.30: Introduction - Michel Schwalbe
Thus Spake Zarathustra, Op.30: Of The Backworldsmen - Michel Schwalbe
Thus Spake Zarathustra, Op.30: Of The Great Longing - Michel Schwalbe
Thus Spake Zarathustra, Op.30: Of Joys And Passions - Michel Schwalbe
Thus Spake Zarathustra, Op.30: The Song Of The Grave - Michel Schwalbe
Thus Spake Zarathustra, Op.30: Of Science - Michel Schwalbe
Thus Spake Zarathustra, Op.30: The Convalescent - Michel Schwalbe
Thus Spake Zarathustra, Op.30: The Dance Song - Michel Schwalbe
Thus Spake Zarathustra, Op.30: Song Of The Night Wanderer - Michel Schwalbe
Festival Prelude, Op.61 - Wolfgang Meyer
Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks, Op.28 - Berliner Philharmoniker
Salome, Op.54: Dance Of The Seven Veils - Berliner Philharmoniker

Tracks:

A Hero's Life, Op.40: The Hero - Erich Muhlbach
A Hero's Life, Op.40: The Hero's Adversaries - Erich Muhlbach
A Hero's Life, Op.40: The Hero's Companion - Erich Muhlbach
A Hero's Life, Op.40: The Hero's Battlefield - Erich Muhlbach
A Hero's Life, Op.40: The Hero's Works Of Peace - Erich Muhlbach
A Hero's Life, Op.40: The Hero's Retirement From The World And Fulfilment - Erich Muhlbach
Death And Transfiguration, Op.24 - Staatskapelle Dresden

Customer Reviews:

first-rate interpretations, second-rate recorded sound.......2006-07-30

What admirable interpretations from Böhm! He breathes so much character into each of the musical "paragraphs" in these readings. Each theme is given its own distinct tempo, chosen with exceptional judgement to emphasize its idiosyncracies and expressive character; and Böhm can turn his orchestra on a dime when a good deal of contrast is called for between the end of one paragraph and beginning of the next. There's also enourmous dynamic range and contrast, form the softest pianissimi to thundering fortissimi. These are readings that really bring out the broad ebb and flow of these long pieces, emphasizing the structure, the architecture of them. They're really fantastic.

Do be warned, though, that the recorded sound is very dated: generally it's rather one-dimensional and the resolution is not very high, so that you mostly hear only the most prominent voices of the ensemble at any given time. It's at its worst in the Alpine Symphony, which sounds like a scratchy, screechy 1930's film soundtrack. In the rest of the pieces it ranges from good to serviceable; but if there's any repertoire that really benefits from today's high-fidelity recording technology, massive post-Romantic orchestral scores like these are certainly a front-runner. Buy this set for the marvellous interpretations, but you'll want to explore other, better-recorded readings as well to really hear the full depth and resonance of the orchestral sound.

Not worth it!!!!!!!.......2006-07-19

This seems like a great deal with the amount of material and the price, but the truth is "cheap price, cheap recordings" . I highly suggest if you want to get the most of Richard Strauss's tone poems you should buy different recordings. The main thing I was disappointed with on this box set was the recording of An Alpine Symphony. The recording of the alpine symphony was too old and weak, sloppy and loud (only at times),and just ok overall. The alpine symphony is on the first cd so I after I listened to that, I had a bad attitude about the rest of it. Even though, all of the other recordings are pretty good or ok.

Personally, I would suggest Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic when it comes to Richard Strauss's tone poems.

Wonderful Interpretation throughout........2006-01-01

This collection is a wonderful package in that it brings together one of Strauss's life friends and largest advocates (Karl Bohm) with two incredible GERMAN orchestras playing their own nationalistic music.

These recordings rank among my most cherished and loved. Highlights (for me) include the climax of sunrise in the Alpine Symphony, the huge reverberations as the massive sound of the fff chords carry over into silence in Heldenleben, and the wicked-crazy horns as they rip through the Waltz from Rosenkavalier.

These are prime interpretations (better, I feel than any other -- and I mean ANY - sorry Karajan fans!!!). And these two wonderful forces play their musical heritage with passion and brilliance.

As another reviewer pointed out, the sound quality leaves something to be desired, however it is not quite as bad as they would have us believe. What we first must take into account is that Strauss' huge tone poems put enormous demands on the recording equipment of its day that could not be met. Also, Bohm was stressed above all else that "the melody be prominent". Yes - as a result the recording really kicks out the melody line.

Okay - take that into account and listen to these with some imagination. I assure you that you will be able to hear the detail of Strauss' music - but more importantly the style and idea of it. Listen like you would look at a black and white photo. While the B&W leaves more for your imagination, you still "get the picture" - and sometimes the B&W reveales more! It's exactly the same with this incredible box of Strauss.

The interpretation is absolutely stunning and revealing. Bohm nailed this on the head and truly captured the essence of this music. I feel this is a wonderful place for you to start if you know little Strauss - and if you know much about Strauss, this is a great place for you to hear a different, but seemingly perfect interpretation of Strauss.

Average customer rating:

Outstanding performances
Reviving a Lost Love
Not for beginners...
One of the very best of all EMI sets! The 2nd coming for all Straussians!
terrible, awful, hideous, lousy

Strauss: Orchestral Works

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Debussy, Ravel: Orchestral Works
Bruckner: The Complete Symphonies
Sibelius: The Complete Symphonies & Tone Poems
Liszt: Works for Piano and Orchestra
Symphonies 1-3 / Piano Concerto 1-4 / Isle of Dead

ASIN: B000026D4K
Release Date: 1999-11-16

Tracks:

Horn Concerto No. 1 In E Flat Major, Op. 11: I: Allegro
Horn Concerto No. 1 In E Flat Major, Op. 11: II: Andante
Horn Concerto No. 1 In E Flat Major, Op. 11: III: Allegro
Horn Concerto No. 2 In E Flat Major: I: Allegro
Horn Concerto No. 2 In E Flat Major: II: Andante con moto
Horn Concerto No. 2 In E Flat Major: III: Rondo (Allegro molto)
Oboe Concerto In D Major: I: Allegro moderato
Oboe Concerto In D Major: II: Andante
Oboe Concerto In D Major: III: Vivace
Duett-Concertino: I; Allegro moderato
Duett-Concertino: II: Andante
Duett-Concertino: III: Rondo (Allegro ma non troppo)

Tracks:

Burleske
Parergon zur Sinfonia Domestica, Op. 73
Panathenaenzug, Op. 74

Tracks:

Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche, Op. 28
Don Juan, Op. 20
Ein Heldenleben, Op. 40: The Hero
Ein Heldenleben, Op. 40: The Hero's Adversaries
Ein Heldenleben, Op. 40: The Hero's Wife
Ein Heldenleben, Op. 40: Certainty Of Victory
Ein Heldenleben, Op. 40: The Hero's Battlefield
Ein Heldenleben, Op. 40: War Fanfares
Ein Heldenleben, Op. 40: The Hero's Work Of Peace
Ein Heldenleben, Op. 40: The Hero's Withdrawl From The World
Ein Heldenleben, Op. 40: Renunciation

Tracks:

Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 8: I: Allegro
Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 8: II: Lento
Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 8: III: Rondo
Sinfonia Domestica, Op. 53: Bewegt - Thema I - Thema II - Thema III
Sinfonia Domestica, Op. 53: Scherzo (Munter)
Sinfonia Domestica, Op. 53: Wiegenlied - Massig langsam
Sinfonia Domestica, Op. 53: Adagio - (Langsam)
Sinfonia Domestica, Op. 53: Finale (Sehr lebhaft)

Tracks:

Also sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30
Tod und Verklarung, Op. 24
Der Rosenkavalier, Op. 59

Tracks:

Salome, Op. 54: Dance Of The Seven Veils
Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme - Suite, Op. 60: Overture
Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme - Suite, Op. 60: Jourdain - Minuet
Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme - Suite, Op. 60: The Fencing Master
Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme - Suite, Op. 60: Entrance and Dance of the Tailors
Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme - Suite, Op. 60: Minuet of Lully
Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme - Suite, Op. 60: Courante
Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme - Suite, Op. 60: Entry Of Cleonte
Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme - Suite, Op. 60: Intermezzo (Prelude To Act 2)
Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme - Suite, Op. 60: The Dinner
Schlagobers, Op. 70: Waltz
Josephslegende, Op. 63: Symphonic Fragment

Tracks:

Metamorphosen: Study For 23 Solo Strings
Eine Alpensinfonie, Op. 64: Night
Eine Alpensinfonie, Op. 64: Sunrise
Eine Alpensinfonie, Op. 64: The Ascent
Eine Alpensinfonie, Op. 64: Entering The Forest
Eine Alpensinfonie, Op. 64: Strolling By The Stream
Eine Alpensinfonie, Op. 64: By The Waterfall
Eine Alpensinfonie, Op. 64: Apparition
Eine Alpensinfonie, Op. 64: In Flowery Meadows
Eine Alpensinfonie, Op. 64: In A Mountain Pasture
Eine Alpensinfonie, Op. 64: Lost In The Thickets And Undergrowth
Eine Alpensinfonie, Op. 64: On The Glacier
Eine Alpensinfonie, Op. 64: Dangerous Moments
Eine Alpensinfonie, Op. 64: On The Summit
Eine Alpensinfonie, Op. 64: Vision
Eine Alpensinfonie, Op. 64: Mists Rise Up
Eine Alpensinfonie, Op. 64: The Sun Grows Dark
Eine Alpensinfonie, Op. 64: Elegy
Eine Alpensinfonie, Op. 64: Quiet Before The Storm
Eine Alpensinfonie, Op. 64: A Thunderstorm - Descent
Eine Alpensinfonie, Op. 64: Sunset
Eine Alpensinfonie, Op. 64: Conclusion
Eine Alpensinfonie, Op. 64: Night

Tracks:

Aus Italien, Op.16: I: Andante
Aus Italien, Op.16: II: Allegro molto con brio
Aus Italien, Op.16: III: Andantino
Aus Italien, Op.16: IV: Finale (Allegro molto)
Macbeth, Op. 23: Symphonic Poem

Tracks:

Don Quixote, Op. 35: Introduktion (Massiges Zeitmass)
Don Quixote, Op. 35: Massig (Don Quixote)
Don Quixote, Op. 35: Maggiore (Sancho Panza)
Don Quixote, Op. 35: Variation I: The adventure with the windmills
Don Quixote, Op. 35: Variation II: The battle with the sheep
Don Quixote, Op. 35: Variation III: Discourse between knight and squire
Don Quixote, Op. 35: Variation IV: The adventure with the pilgrims
Don Quixote, Op. 35: Variation V: The knight's vigil
Don Quixote, Op. 35: Variation VI: The meeting with Dulcinea
Don Quixote, Op. 35: Variation VII: The ride through the air
Don Quixote, Op. 35: Variation VIII: The voyage in the enchanted boat
Don Quixote, Op. 35: Variation IX: The combat with the two magicians
Don Quixote, Op. 35: Variation X: The defeat of Don Quixote
Don Quixote, Op. 35: Finale (Sehr ruhig)
Dance Suite from harpsichord pieces by Francois Couperin: I: Entree and stately round
Dance Suite from harpsichord pieces by Francois Couperin: II: Courante
Dance Suite from harpsichord pieces by Francois Couperin: III: Carillon
Dance Suite from harpsichord pieces by Francois Couperin: IV: Sarabande
Dance Suite from harpsichord pieces by Francois Couperin: V: Gavotte
Dance Suite from harpsichord pieces by Francois Couperin: VI: Tourbillon - Wirbeltanz
Dance Suite from harpsichord pieces by Francois Couperin: VIII: Allemande
Dance Suite from harpsichord pieces by Francois Couperin: VIII: March

Amazon.com essential recording

When it comes to the music of Richard Strauss, none of the world's great orchestras has a more distinguished tradition than the Staatskapelle Dresden. As pit orchestra of the Dresden Court Opera, the Staatskapelle was involved in the premieres, between 1901 and 1911, of Feuersnot, Salome, Elektra, and Der Rosenkavalier; later, with Karl Böhm conducting, its players participated in the premiere of Daphne. Most of Strauss's major tone poems have been in the Dresden orchestra's concert repertory since completion.

Back in the 1970s, EMI was able to capitalize on this association when it reunited the Staatskapelle with Rudolf Kempe--a native of Dresden, one of the master conductors of the 20th century, and an absolutely authoritative Straussian--for an integral recording of Strauss's orchestral works and concertos. The cycle was warmly received when it was originally released on LP, and it has become one of the treasures of the CD catalog since EMI reissued it whole, in three volumes, in 1992. With this latest repackaging, the whole impressive enterprise becomes available in one box.

Across the board, Kempe and the Dresdeners give magnificent readings of the music. Their Zarathustra is imposing and grand; their Heldenleben suitably heroic and quite smashingly played; their Till Eulenspiegel and Don Juan delightfully brisk, characterful, and exultant (the latter is dispatched in a blazing 16:06, and receives as ardent and exhilarating a reading as you are ever likely to encounter on disc). One of the finest of all the offerings is the account of Eine Alpensinfonie, a Kempe favorite and still a sonic knockout after nearly three decades.

The less familiar orchestral works are here, as well, including the early tone poems Aus Italien and Macbeth and the admittedly rather frothy ballet scores Josephslegende and Schlagobers. Of special value are the accounts of all Strauss's concerted works, from the early Violin Concerto (played by Ulf Hoelscher) and Burleske for piano and orchestra (with Malcolm Frager as soloist), through Don Quixote (featuring Paul Tortelier in magisterial form) and the two horn concertos, to the Oboe Concerto of 1946 and the final Duett-Concertino for clarinet and bassoon.

It's hard to imagine any label tackling such a project in today's bottom-line environment, or coming up with such definitive readings from today's performers. All the more reason to celebrate the appearance of this compendium. --Ted Libbey

Customer Reviews:

Outstanding performances.......2007-05-13

Rudolf Kempe's interpretations of Richard Strauss orchestral works (almost complete - one miss the orchestral songs) have been classic recordings since they first appeared on record in the early seventies (1970-75).

Especially fine are his interpretations of the core works, e.g., the symphonic poems Also sprach Zarathustra, Ein Heldenleben, Eine Alpensinfonie, Tod und Verklärung, Don Juan, Till Eulenspiegel, Don Quixote. All these are given first rate interpretations.

Furthermore, you get outstanding interpretations of Strauss' two horn concertos as well, with Peter Damm's superb horn playing, and an outstanding performance of Metamorphosen.

There is simply no rival to this collection of "core works of Richard Strauss".

In addition, this box collects also Strauss less interesting orchestral works - see Amazon's listing above. These minor works receive fine interpretations and performances too, but the main attraction is of course the core works above.

Sound quality is very fine - just excellent analogue stereo - and the orchestra, Staatskapelle Dresden, was one of the top orchestras in the world when these sessions were put on record.

Warmly recommended!

Reviving a Lost Love.......2006-08-07

The highest praise for any conductor must be that he rekindles enthusiasm and love for music that had been recently abandoned. In his autobiography, the conductor Felix Weingartner confesses that he had grown out of touch with Strauss' music; until hearing this set, I had felt the same, with only a few exceptions. But Rudolf Kempe and his really great Staatskapelle Dresden have won me back to Richard's orchestral music. So far, I have only heard part of the set: Zarathustra, Heldenleben, Till, Tod und Verklaerung, Der Buerger als Edelmann, Don Juan, Burleske, and Sinfonia Domestica, but my appetite is whet for more. Because of the refined, subtle, and yet intense conducting of Kempe, what used to strike me as cheap and taudry now strikes me as profound and moving. And the sheer musical skill of Strauss in thematic invention and counterpoint never ceases to amaze. Kempe was truly, in my not so humble opinion, the greatest conductor of the German classics following Furtwaengler; Karajan was empty and shallow by comparison. Kempe brings to this music the same passion and dignity that he brought to Beethoven, Brahms, Wagner, Schumann, and other of "his" composers. To make just one comparison, Reiner's Zarathustra, once hallowed by me as by most listeners, now sounds like overripe, rotting fruit as compared to the passionate yet thoughtful quality that Kempe brings to it. The Staatskapelle Dresden, by the way, sounds like the greatest orchestra in the world, only matched by the Berlin Philharmonic under Kempe or Furtwaengler, an orchestra that produces incidentally beautiful sounds but whose main goal is the projection and characterization of the music. No virtuosity for its own sake, just musicianship, musicianship, and more musicianship. EMI's sound is the very epitome of how to record an orchestra: Impactful, yet smooth and detailed, with natural perspectives and no spotlighting. This set belongs in every music lover's library.

Not for beginners..........2006-07-16

Most boxed sets have their ups and downs because no conductor is equally sympathetic to all of a composer's works. Kempe is no exception to this rule.

The masterpieces, Zarathustra, Heldenleben, and Quixote, are superb here. Kempe clarifies Strauss' complex textures in a way that other conductors like Karajan don't. Most of the time, I prefer to hear these works Karajan's way, but it's nice to hear what Kempe does with them, too. No one does Sinfonia Domestica the way Kempe does it...with such gentleness and humor. I listened to Reiner's recording for years, but I put it up for sale on amazon after I heard the Kempe. With all four of these large tone poems, Kempe and Karajan are all I really need.

The Don Juan is just about the best I've ever heard. It is so vital and exciting! Better than Karajan or any other I know. It is hard to imagine that Macbeth will ever be done better than this either. Macbeth is one of the reasons I own this set, but it's hardly one of Strauss' masterpieces. Speaking of non-masterpieces, I also treasure Kempe's recordings of Strauss' strange works for piano and orchestra. The Burleske has more poetry but less excitement than the classic Byron Janis/Reiner recording.

Kempe's recordings of the Horn Concertos are truly awful. Listen to the weak, watery tones of the first-chair horn player stepping into the solo spotlight. One listen to the mono recordings of Dennis Brain conducted by Sawallisch shows what is missing: bold, ringing tone and lots of excitement. If I only knew Kempe's recordings, I wouldn't even care about these pieces.

The bad news continues with the Oboe Concerto (weak oboist) and the charming Duet Concertino (weak bassoon).

Kempe misses the raucous fun that charges the best recordings of Till Eulenspiegel. This is a limp dishrag of a performance (until the last few minutes). At the very start of the performance, you will hear a familiar sound -- our weak horn player from the concertos playing a solo -- and you will long to stop the CD and reach for a different recording.

Metamorphosen is one of my favorite pieces by Strauss. Kempe, as is his wont, tries mightily to clarify Strauss' dense counterpoint here, and I appreciate the effort. I hear things here that I miss in other recordings. But this reading does not move me the way others have. Ormandy, to name just one. Death and Transfiguration is another one that Ormandy did better. Kempe is too fast at times! Really fast!

My greatest disappointment with this set is a recording that has been acclaimed by many as one of the greatest Strauss recordings ever made...Kempe's take on Eine Alpensinfonie. I have lived for many years with the Karajan recording, and I must say that Kempe misses many of the moments that I have come to treasure in Karajan's version. One example would be those 20 horns playing! Karajan makes this absolutely thrilling, which I'm sure is what Strauss intended. With Kempe, this telling touch by Strauss passes by unremarkably. The slow, quiet passage at the summit lacks magic. The apotheosis at the top of the mountain is certainly thrilling in Kempe's hands, but he misses too much on the way up. By the way, his cowbells sound almost comically bad. He certainly does bring out the beauty of the closing sections of the work, though.

If you are really serious about getting to know Strauss' music, this is a necessary purchase for the rarities that will probably never be done better like the Violin Concerto and the pieces I've already mentioned. If you just want Strauss' most famous works, this is a waste of your money (no matter how cheap it is!)because there's a lot of stuff here that either isn't very good or that you probably won't want to listen to that often. You would be better off buying Karajan's recordings (the 1970s recordings, not the remakes from the 80s) of the big three tone poems and then filling in the smaller ones as your interests dictate. Casual listeners will never need to hear pieces like Macbeth or the piano works that make this set so vital to Strauss-aholics like me!

One of the very best of all EMI sets! The 2nd coming for all Straussians!.......2006-02-10

The great Strauss tone poems soar to the highest level imaginable! With Kempe's genius, the lesser works become great! Kempe resists all temptation to be banal or bombastic. He directs the Staatskappele Dresden with a silken, burnished tone yet with restraint that has a radiant glow that never sacrifices the inherent capacity of the music to thrill, deeply move, or elevate to another plain. Each work played is in itself the guide: conductor and orchestra let the works deliver their own brilliance. The Don Juan and Dead and Transfiguration are soul piercing, along with Ein Heldenleben, and....... The Staatskapelle Dresden has always been an inspired ensemble and in Kempe's hands they are simply put, magnificent, delivering one thrilling performance after another. Like Wagner and Faith, you get Strauss or you don't. If you do get it, this set is beyond self recommendation; Buy this set before it disappears from the shelves. Classical Cd shelves these days have hidden boomerangs. One minute here, next minute.....boing going gone)...! The concert hall may never hear greater performances of Strauss' orchestral works as we hear on these nine disks. The sound is nothing short of a rich, full timber as Kempe leads then with inspired and interpretive genius . This all may sound over the edge but I don't think so and I don't think you will be disappointed. Strauss has been served in splendor by the Dresden musicians under Kempe's baton. [Although in an aside I must say that Raphael Fruhbeck de Burgos and the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra's performance this past summer of Don Juan and the Rosenkavalier suite were superb.] Then I think of the BSO with Levine...., their Strauss should be something else. Bravo and kudos to all for bringing us this gift. Booklet is very well done with one exception. There is not a word in the booklet about Rudolf Kempe and/or the orchestra itself. 10 stars anyway!!

terrible, awful, hideous, lousy.......2005-04-22

The problem with the "classics" is that too many hacks have hacked them to pieces. My opinion of these recordings, for whatever it is worth, is that they simply do not do justice to Strauss's magnificent music.

There is a reason they are a "bargain". I would avoid this set.
Sometimes a boxed set is a good deal, but this one is not. I find the entire set unspeakably dull and literally unlistenable.

In any event, this is merely my opinion. The majority of the other reviewers think its terrific.

Average customer rating:

Truly great Strauss conducting from Haitink
5 grandes poemas y una hermosa suite
Get this for the wonderful Heldenleben.
Zarathustra said "nevermore"
Just onde for Jochum?

Richard Strauss: 5 Great Tone Poems

Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B000004198
Release Date: 1994-08-16

Tracks:

Don Juan, Op. 20
Ein Heldenleben, Op. 40 -: Der Held
Ein Heldenleben, Op. 40 -: Des Helden Widersacher
Ein Heldenleben, Op. 40 -: Des Helden Gefahrtin
Ein Heldenleben, Op. 40 -: Des Helden Walstatt
Ein Heldenleben, Op. 40 -: Des Helden Friedenswerke
Ein Heldenleben, Op. 40 -: Des Helden Weltflucht und Vollendung
Les joyeuses plaisanteries de Till l'Espiegle: Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche, Op.28

Tracks:

Also sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30: (Sonnenaufgang)
Also sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30: Von den Hinterweltlern
Also sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30: Von der grossen Sehnsucht
Also sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30: Von den Freuden und Leidenschaften
Also sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30: Das Grablied
Also sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30: Von der Wissenschaft
Also sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30: Der Genesende
Also sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30: Das Tanzlied
Also sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30: Das Nachtwandlerlied
Mort et transfiguration: Tod und Verklarung, Op. 24
Der Rosenkavalier, Op.59: First Suite of Waltzes
Der Rosenkavalier, Op.59: Second Suite of Waltzes

Customer Reviews:

Truly great Strauss conducting from Haitink.......2005-09-18

Philips outdid itself with wonderfully warm, clear, detailed sonics for Haitink's Also Sprach Zarathustra, and he obliged the engineers with a super-detailed reading that is riveting in every way. There is not a touch of Solti's vulgarity, and although I never thought I'd say it, this recording sounds better and comes off more dramatically than even Karajan's. Let's call it a tie. Everything else is wonderful as well.

5 grandes poemas y una hermosa suite.......2004-11-30

Bernard Haitink gano los mas pretigiosos premios con su serie de grabaciones de los poemas sinfónicos de Liszt y siguio su marcha de espectacular interpretacion con estos poemas sinfónicos verdaderamente notables.
Muerte y transfiguración, vida de heroe, don Juan y la siempre reducida a la introduccion Asi hablo Zaratustra son obras musicales que permaneceran como muchas en lo mas alto de la composición clasica y Haitink entre sus interpretes mas sobresalientes.
Este es un Cd de colección con obras grandiosas, geniales, llenas de emocion y magia, de sentimentalismo y plenas de innovadora genialidad.
Suma a esta maravillosa coleccion una sublime pieza de gran belleza, la suite del Caballero de la Rosa es notable y ademas en la soberbia direccion de Eugen Jochum, quien tomando a su cargo la orquesta del concertgebouw (patrimonio de Haitink) nos deslumbra y hace que la elección sea mas que satisfactoria, verdaderamente irresistible.

Get this for the wonderful Heldenleben........2003-08-25

The star of this Duo set is the Heldenleben, which alone is enough to justify the money spent. Hermann Krebbers plays the violin solos magnificently and Haitink gives a strongly expansive reading. However, the same expansive approach does not work too well in "Zarathustra" and "Tod", which have a certain Brucknerian stodginess. You will be left wishing for a bit more pace and brio in the playing. "Don Juan" and "Till Eulenspiegel" are excellently paced and played however. They are among the best performances I have ever heard.

Zarathustra said "nevermore".......2001-02-04

I thought it was impossible for any conductor or orchestra to screw up the introduction to "Also Sprach," but Haitink and the Concertgebouw prove it can be done. I will mainly focus on this introduction, as I am rarely able to listen to any more after hearing such an abomination right away. The orchestra leaves spaces in the passages wide enough to drive a truck through, and at the finale there is enough time to get up for some coffee between each chord. For anyone who saw 2001 and wanted a really good recording of the intro, plus some other good works, do not buy this album. It merely leaves you cold and angry that anyone would treat a piece of such majesty so. It's choppy, aimless, and infuriating. You can bet I will never again purchase any album that features the name Haitink.

Just onde for Jochum?.......2000-07-18

excelent music, lots of listening time and...why just one op. for Jochum?

Richard Strauss: Also sprach Zarathustra; Ein Heldenleben

Average customer rating:

Great Virtuosity, but For the Music, Get Kempe!
Historic stereo recordings of Richard Strauss
An outstanding event of incalculable transcendence!
This music? Garbage? You've got to be kidding.
Not Garbage at all

Richard Strauss: Also sprach Zarathustra; Ein Heldenleben

Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000003FE9
Release Date: 1993-03-09

Tracks:

Also Sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30: Sunrise
Also Sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30: Of The People Of The Unseen World
Also Sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30: Of The Great Longing
Also Sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30: Of Joys And Passions
Also Sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30: Dirge
Also Sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30: Of Science
Also Sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30: The Convalescent
Also Sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30: Dance Song And Night Song
Also Sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30: Night Wanderer's Song
Ein Heldenleben, Op. 40: The Hero
Ein Heldenleben, Op. 40: The Hero's Adversaries
Ein Heldenleben, Op. 40: The Hero's Companion
Ein Heldenleben, Op. 40: The Hero's Battlefield
Ein Heldenleben, Op. 40: The Hero's Works Of Peace
Ein Heldenleben, Op. 40: The Hero's Retreat From The World And Fulfillment

Amazon.com essential recording

RCA Victor's 1954-vintage stereophony has scarcely aged, all to the better of these ageless performances, heard in their finest transfers yet. Fritz Reiner's Ein Heldenleben fuses drama, poetry, scrupulous balances, bracing rhythm, and purposeful detail into a cogent whole. Much the same holds true for Reiner's Zarathusatra from the same year. Yes, the organ is foully out-of-tune, and a few exposed tympani notes are similarly suspect. Some may prefer Reiner's less flashy, more internalized 1960 Zarathustra remake, although it doesn't quite make the sonic impact of its hallowed predecessor. May this disc never be deleted. --Jed Distler

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This recording was the hi-fi demo disc of the 1950s. On CD, it still sounds pretty incredible; an achievement as remarkable technically as it is musically. And what playing! Fritz Reiner sadistically enjoyed driving his players to despair. There's a famous story about principal trumpeter Adolph (Bud) Herseth, who played his tricky little fanfare at the beginning of the second half of Zarathustra so perfectly so many times that even Reiner finally gave up. Most critics and Strauss lovers consider Reiner's performance of A Hero's Life to be the best ever committed to disc, and I'd be the last one to disagree. This is one of those recordings where everything just went right. --David Hurwitz

Amazon.com

Ein Heldenleben can occasionally sound like 30 minutes of real music with a 15-minute violin concerto placed in its middle; it requires an interpreter with grip and a long view of the score to hold the piece together. Fritz Reiner was just that, and his 1954 account of Heldenleben is still on the top of the pile. It is a formidable reading--huge, massive, yet with an Old World expressiveness in the strings and gloriously transparent textures. Reiner's interpretation of Zarathustra, recorded at the same time, is equally impressive. Stunning is the only word to describe the remastering job RCA has done with the original recordings: the richness of sound is staggering for documents now more than 40 years old. --Ted Libbey

Customer Reviews:

Great Virtuosity, but For the Music, Get Kempe!.......2006-08-07

This issue will appeal to those who find in Richard Strauss a great orchestrator. But if you pass this by and get the Kempe recordings on EMI with the Staatskapelle Dresden, you will find Strauss the Great Composer.

Historic stereo recordings of Richard Strauss.......2006-03-28

Fritz Reiner (1888-1963) and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra were among the first musicians in the U.S. to make commercial streophonic recordings, in March 1954 in Chicago's historic Orchestra Hall. (A few stereo recordings were made by Thor Johnson and the Cincinnati Symphony in 1953 by Remington and given some limited release on tapes and discs.)

In 1954, RCA Victor taped two extended masterpieces by the German composer Richard Strauss (1864-1949), using a pioneering triple-track stereo tape system. RCA used separate equipment at the recording sessions in Orchestra Hall, one for the conventional monaural recordings and one for the stereo recordings. Intended to be experimental recordings, the stereo versions first appeared on home reel-to-reel tapes within a year. With the advent of the Westrex stereo cutting system, the recordings were first issued on discs in 1958 as part of RCA's highly-acclaimed "Living Stereo" series.

Reiner had the advantage of clearly understanding Richard Strauss and his music because the two musicians were close friends and corresponded until shortly before Strass died in late 1949. Strauss, who himself made some experimental high fidelity recordings of his major works in 1944 with the Vienna Philharmonic, greatly admired what Reiner achieved. He would have certainly applauded these definitive, first stereo recordings of two of his extended symphonic poems.

"Also sprach Zarathustra" was based on the writings of Friedrich Nietzsche and is a very deep, intense, often melancholy work with several very spectacular musical sequences, including a hypnotic waltz sequence. Scored for very large orchestra, the symphonic poem runs continuously and was often "ruined" by LP recordings because it was necessary to split the music near the halfway point. The CD version does not have this annoying interruption. Instead, we can thoroughly enjoy this very exciting performance, superbly played by the Chicago musicians. It is always a treat, too, to hear what happens AFTER the famous opening minutes of the work, which became so famous when Stanley Kubrick used it in his 1968 science fiction epic "2001: A Space Odyssey."

We know that Fritz Reiner was a perfectionist and he sought very high standards. Arturo Toscanini was known for occasional outbursts when musicians failed to play their best; Toscanini admired Reiner and invited him to guest conduct the NBC Symphony Orchestra. Reiner, however, could absolutely terrify musicians as he sought the highest standards in playing; sometimes he used anger and other times he used biting sarcasm. The excellence which both Reiner and Toscanini sought from their orchestras are quite apparent in the numerous outstanding recordings they made.

Toscanini did not particularly enjoy making recordings, especially before the invention of magnetic tape. On the other hand, Reiner readily embraced recording and determined to leave lasting documents of the high standards he sought. This is quite apparent in "Also sprach Zarathustra." The recording still amazes us, both for its remarkably high quality sound and the intensity of the performance.

A similar treasure is realized in Strauss' "Ein Heldenleben" or "A Hero's Life." Filled with quotes from earlier Strauss works, this is an intense, powerful, and dramatic work that seems something of an ego trip for the composer since he is clearly the "hero" of the story. However, Strauss may actually be celebrating his accomplishments and achievements, often as he sought to please his wife Pauline, who clearly expected nothing but the best from her husband.

The terrifying battle sequence remains a high point of this extended work and, fortunately, we can hear it without the annoying interruption that often occurred on LPs in the middle of the spectacular music with its heavy use of percussion. Once again, the music is continuous and did not lend itself to the 33-1/3 rpm discs. Reiner's powerful performance compares well with the much-admired performances by Willem Mengelburg and the New York Philharmonic (1928 for Victor) and Sir Thomas Beecham and the Royal Philharmonic (1958 for Capitol).

An outstanding event of incalculable transcendence!.......2005-11-14

Orchestra Hall, Chicago March 8, 1954. Fritz Reiner would conduct the most famous of all his recordings ever made. Strauss Also sprach Zaratustra will be performed with such electrifying flair, mercurial rapture, vibrating intensity and delirious apotheosis as possibly has been made.

This is in few words the meaning of this historic legacy. The astonishing fact that features the edification of a supreme masterpiece is precisely not being conscious about it. This surprising element works out without a logic support. It is the happy result of a sum of fortunate details, the passionate conveyance, ardent conviction, astonishing exactitude and marvelous meticulousness that the 110 members of the Chicago Symphony brought that historic date.

This evening the whole Universe was a silent witness of a work in progress.

This music? Garbage? You've got to be kidding........2005-04-04

I strongly disagree with AaLii. This music is not overblown, pretentious, and cacophonous pieces of garbage, but melodic, timeless, and harmonious works of music. Fritz Reiner has been overshadowed in recent years by Sir Georg Solti when it comes to the CSO, but in my opinion, was just as good a conductor. I like his recording of Zarathustra even better than Solti's, and his Ein Heldenleben is excellent, too. Of course, Solti did excellent Strauss with the CSO, but this disc is very special.

It's hard to believe that these recordings were made over 50 years ago because they sound like they were recorded just yesterday! I take my hat off to the engineers at RCA for their brilliant restoration work to keep this in the permanent catalogue. Don't ever let it be deleted!

Not Garbage at all.......2005-02-24

No need to repeat what so many other writers have said about these classic recordings, they are simply magnificent and the music is wonderful. One writer called the music garbage. Nonsense. It may not be Beethoven but it is unique and makes your sound system sound so wonderful. Another great recording of Also Sprach is by Sir Charles Mackerras and the Royal Philharmonic on their label. I believe it is no longer available but I was very lucky and bought it at Big Lots for only $3.00. The playing of the Royal Philharmonic is outstanding.

Richard Strauss: Till Eulenspiegels Lustige Streiche, Op.28/Ein

Average customer rating:

Richard Strauss: Till Eulenspiegels Lustige Streiche, Op.28/Ein

Manufacturer: Elektra / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000005E7M
Release Date: 1991-05-03

Tracks:

Till Eugenspiegels Lustige Streiche Op. 28 - A Hero's Life
The Hero
The Hero's Adversaries
The Hero's Helpmate
The Hero's Battlefield
The Hero's Work Of Peace
The Hero's Retreat From The World And Fulfillment

Amazon.com

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra made one of the greatest recordings ever of Ein Heldenleben under Fritz Reiner, all the more reason to lament this 1991 release, the second of Daniel Barenboim's debut discs as the CSO's music director. It takes Barenboim just a few measures to dispel any notion that we are in for the kind of ride his predecessor gave the piece. The hero he portrays is a contemplative--one almost said self-absorbed--posturer, certainly not a man of action. From the flabby, grandiose treatment of the opening pages, through the cluttered mess of The Hero's Battlefield and its anticlimactic reprise of the hero's theme, to the glutinous hyperlegatos of The Hero's Works of Peace (where one of the harps is noticeably out of tune) and the Hollywood bathos of the score's denouement, this is as uninspiring a rendition as can be found. Only one ray of insight penetrates the darkness here, and that is co-concertmaster Samuel Magad's sympathetic portrait of "The Hero's Helpmate." The account of Till Eulenspiegel which prefaces the disc exhibits the same lack of attention to balances and textural detail that typified Barenboim's work in Paris, though the CSO still manages to play the piece with knife-edge precision and near-perfect attacks and releases. Erato's sound is decent, no better: the bass is tubby and poorly defined, the solo winds and the horns are unnaturally recessed, and the soundstage is only vaguely suggested. --Ted Libbey

Richard Strauss: Ein Heldenleben; Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme

Average customer rating:

Here Is My Illuminating Review Of This Album
Beware the 'sound' of the future
A masterful new Heldenleben, graced with spectacular sonics

Richard Strauss: Ein Heldenleben; Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B000BU992E
Release Date: 2006-01-10

Tracks:

The Hero - Guy Braunstein
The Hero's Adversaries - Guy Braunstein
The Hero's Companion - Guy Braunstein
The Hero's Battlefield - Guy Braunstein
The Hero's Works Of Peace - Guy Braunstein
The Hero's Retirement From The World And The Fulfillment Of His Life - Guy Braunstein
Overture To Act I - Berliner Philharmoniker
Menuett - Berliner Philharmoniker
The Fencing Master - Berliner Philharmoniker
Entrance And Dance Of The Tailors - Berliner Philharmoniker
Lully's Minuet - Berliner Philharmoniker
Courante - Berliner Philharmoniker
Entrance Of Cleonte - Berliner Philharmoniker
Intermezzo: Prelude To Act II - Berliner Philharmoniker
The Dinner - Berliner Philharmoniker

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All of Strauss' symphonic poems tell a story, but in Ein Heldenleben the subject is his own life. Casting himself as the Hero, the hostile music critics as Adversaries, his compositions as Works of Peace, his Flight from the World as Consummation, the 34-year-old composer seems to succumb to unabashed egotism and grandiosity. However, his self-indulgence is redeemed by his music, which abounds with soaring, rapturous melodies, breath-taking modulations and gorgeous, scintillating orchestral colors. A solo violin represents the Hero's Companion, Strauss' beloved but famously difficult wife; their love scene contains some of his most ravishing, ecstatic music. Equally striking is his mordantly satirical depiction of the cacophonously bickering Adversaries, who rear their malicious heads even during moments of triumphant fulfillment. Toward the end, Strauss slyly tempts listeners to "Name that tune!" with almost 30 quotes from his own works. The orchestra is wonderful; Guy Braunstein plays his virtuosic solo brilliantly but sounds distant. He comes through better in the prominent, fiendishly difficult violin part of the Suite Strauss assembled from his incidental music to Moliére's Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme. Scored for 37 instruments, it depicts the comedy's characters and situations in delightfully witty "modernized" baroque dances, some using themes from Lully; the Finale is a Viennese waltz. The players revel in Strauss' mischievous humor and their own virtuosity. --Edith Eisler

Customer Reviews:

Here Is My Illuminating Review Of This Album.......2006-09-22

Simon Rattle is a conductor I passionately want to champion. He is a very talented guy who's crazy about music and he always manages to convey that enthusiasm. He also is not afraid to engage with the public and be a spokesman for modern works and offbeat repertoire. He's got the kind of cheerful, pleasant, warm personality that we haven't seen in barely any conductors since Leonard Bernstein. Now Simon is at the helm of possibly the deepest, most virtuosic orchestra in the whole wide world, the Berlin Philharmonic. I think Rattle's achievements back in Burmingham were sizable but hardly extraordinary when you get down to it, I mean how many works of music has Simon recorded where you feel it might be the definitive performance of a piece? Not many I should say. I do however think in his Berlin Philharmonic appointment as chief conductor Rattle will ultimately surpass the achievement of Claudio Abbado, but he will not approach the glory days of the godlike masters Herbert von Karajan and Wilhelm Furtwangler.

Let's begin then, already this past year Rattle has deluged the market with interesting CDs, for instance Dvorak's Late Symphonic Poems, a Schubert 9th that many hate, Messaien's Illuminations of the Beyond, ( a work I find tedious compared to Messiaen's Turangalila Symphony ), a Debussy La Mer and various pieces, Brahms' 1st Piano Concerto and so on. Apart from Debussy, Rattle has not tried to invade Karajan's territory until this recording of Richard Strauss' Ein Heldenleben.

Down below, you have two opposing perspectives on this recording and the quality of sound it receives. One reviewer says great, another says atrocious. Let me be the voice of reason. The sound on this CD is pretty good for the most part. Compared to the thin, muffled sound of Rattle's Vienna Philharmonic Beethoven cycle, ( see my review ), this Ein Heldenleben sounds splendid, but I have heard more lush, wide-ranging digital engineering from the likes of Decca and even EMI in the 70's. Are all the great sound guys dead at EMI these days? They used to be exceptional. Altogether, the sound is close up and highlights the orchestra from many angles. It does not sound like it was recorded in a closet, that is a gross exaggeration! The sound is good, it's just not state of the art, however that's not a deal breaker, the performance stands up to it's competitors. Overall I would say the aural engineering is on par with many of it's competitors.

As a performance, this is mostly a riveting good time, the opening Hero section is passionate and full of vigor, the critics are sharp and nasty, the Hero's Wife section is where Simon Rattle starts to sag a bit, especially in the rapturous second portion where the orchestra takes up the Strauss couple's ecstasy and contentment with one another. Here Rattle slows the music down a tad and seems to try and wallow in it instead of letting the musical line take it's natural direction as Karajan always did on his records. The Battle Section is fierce and involving with plenty of inner detail and spotlighting of the instruments, which some people won't take to. The later passages follow up an altogether terrific interpretation. I would have loved to hear this in concert! The sound on the recording as I mentioned above is not as lush or expansive as in the best sounding Heldenlebens, for instance Karajan's outstanding EMI version from the 70's and Blomstedt's version with the San Francisco Symphony on Decca, ( a note, Blomstedt's Denon version is lame and tame by comparison ).

So why should you listen to my opinion exactly? Well, I am a huge fan of Richard Strauss, everything from his tone poems, operas, songs, concerti, even his outlandishly neglected choral music! He is one of the supreme masters of composition even if his music many times lacks the profound nature that can be found in Bach, Beethoven and Wagner, Strauss is still one of the most brilliant musicians who ever lived. I have listened to many Ein Heldenlebens. Let me count them and give quick insights on each version I either own or heard. Here goes, Reiner/RCA from 1955, ( good but a tad mechanical ), Karajan/DG from 1959 ( terrific but Karajan would go on to do even better ), Eugene Ormandy/Sony Essential Classics, ( a rollicking good time, certainly a garish account, it's a shame that the sound sucks compared to the best versions ), Barbirolli/EMI from the late 1960's, ( incredibly expansive, even slow reading, but engaging and interesting in it's own way ), Solti/Decca from the 1970's, ( intense, fierce, brilliant, but lacks inner qualities ), Karajan/EMI from 1974, ( this EMI Karajan is the best Heldenleben in my opinion, awesome performance all the way through with the most thrilling Battle Scene ever recorded! Sound is lush and expansive, A must own. ), Rudolf Kempe/EMI, also from the 70's, ( good work but not first class ). Haitink/Philips, 70's again, ( fine account but somewhat understated in Haitink's typical vein ). Karajan/DG Karajan Gold from the early 1980's, ( another monumental performance but the sound can be a bit rough, early digital edge, you know! ). Blomstedt/Denon, ( this earlier Blomstedt account with the Dresden orchestra is too tame for it's own good, I was sleepy and not involved ). Blomstedt/Decca, ( Blomstedt's second go at Hero's Life with the San Francisco Symphony is much better and has terrific sound! Still, he's no Karajan! ). Wolfgang Sawallisch/EMI, from the 1990's ( good, classy playing by the Philadelphia Orchestra, Sawallisch uses Strauss' original, quiet ending, where the music just fades away, no massive fortissimo like in every other version. Guess what, that fortissimo is great and I sorely missed it! Oh well, still a decent record ). Simon Rattle/EMI 2005, ( the one I'm reviewing, braniac! This is a damn fine job by Rattle, a good choice but not the best ). Christian Thieleman/DG 2003, ( this Vienna Philharmonic performance is Rattle's most inspired recent competitor. It's massive, perhaps slightly over emphatic and bloated but nonetheless very satisfying and perceptive, great sound ).

Well, there you have it! I just gave you a rundown of over a dozen Heldenlebens, I hope you were taking notes! Isn't this the best review ever? Hahaha! Simon is strongly competitive overall in this music but the honor goes to Herbert von Karajan in the end, anyone who disagrees with that simply doesn't have a clue!

1st place, Karajan on EMI from 1974, available in the Karajan Edition or Karajan Collection, same remastering by the way! 2nd place is Karajan on DG Karajan Gold from the 1980's or the early 1959 version, both great but the digital one has the edgy sonics as I mentioned. 3rd place, take your pick, Rattle/EMI, Reiner/RCA, Solti/Decca, Thielemann/DG or Blomstedt/Decca, any of these versions is a winner but not a champion. If you want a more historical perspective, you can seek out Thomas Beecham or Clemens Krauss, ( Strauss' main conductor back in the day ), or even the master Richard Strauss himself conducting Heldenleben, I haven't heard Strauss himself, but it must be good!

Did I mention that Rattle also conducts the suite Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme on this CD? This is not a favorite of mine by any measure, how can the composer of Ein Heldenleben, Salome and Elektra also fashion together this pedestrian bourgeoise score? The modernists must have had a field day ripping Strauss a new one over this music, although some composers like Stravinsky would be guilty later of similar stylings in his neo-classical phase for instance. All in all this is one of the many different facets of Strauss' persona, the fire-breathing hero on the one hand and the middle class dork on the other. If you want a great performance of Le Bourgeois Genhilhomme, go to Fritz Reiner, this Simon Rattle version doesn't measure up, it's too dull. It was recorded in the studio and the sound is tame compared to the vibrancy and immediacy of the coupled Heldenleben performance which was recorded live!

Has this been the longest review you've ever read? If you have read it, I hope it was worth your time. I'll just go now and listen to Karajan's great performance of the sadly neglected masterpiece Sinfonia Domestica. Later I'll listen to some of Solti's version of Die Frau Ohne Schatten, one of the most heavenly operas ever composed by the way! Why am I wasting so much time writing this review then? Right, I'm going now, at least I'll know this was helpful to all you Strauss fans!

Beware the 'sound' of the future.......2006-07-26

Buyer beware: this is what the dumbing down of sound recording in the face of the victory of market forces has in store for us for the future for classical music recording. This is a horrible recording. Everything you DON'T want front and centre here is just that. Unbelievably, the strings are super over-balancd, rendering melodic detail in the wind and brass irrelevant. The recording is spectacularly 2-dimensional (I mean, who cares when you are listening through an i-pod anyway!) and any sense of perspective one might expect is pretty much eradicated in the first 20 seconds. This makes the performance sound (even if it isn't, but who could tell?) utterly superficial: loud, unsubtle, totally un-engraciating, and ultimately really flat. I took out my old Blomstedt/Dresden recording from 20 years ago on Denon, and . . . oh, what a difference!
This new recording sounds as if it was recorded in my bedroom closet, and having been to the Berlin Phil in their hall, it is about as far from the experience as it is possible to get. No idea what the other reviewer has in mind as an exemplar, but we sure don't see eye to eye! Rattle continues his terrible recording record. Players and administrators seem to like him, but precious few great performances seep through his grasp - despite having the world's greatest orchestra at his beck and call!
Terrible. Pathetic. Sad.

A masterful new Heldenleben, graced with spectacular sonics.......2006-02-12

Herbert von Karajan, who turned the Berlin Phil. into the almost superhuman ensemble it remains today, conducted Strauss all his life but avoided Mahler until near the end. Simon Rattle has done the opposite, so it's significant that he decided to tread on sacred ground and record one of Karajan's most famous showpieces. The result is a triumph: this is totally committed conducting that crackles with more excitement than any of Karajan's analog or digital versions.

EMI has given Rattle superbly detailed sonics across a huge dynamic range; there is no comparison with the boomy bass and shrill violins found in Karajan's classic 1959 account on DG. The multi-miking here may offend purists, since no inner detail is left out--if you still want to hear th second flute while the brass is blasting away, here you go. I for one find the impact of this CD almost unbearable. The flood of sound comes close to the shivering excitment of the real thing (Rattle recently overhwlmed the New YOrk critics and public with this same Heldeleben performance in Carnegie Hall, which I attended).

My chief objection to Rattle's conducting has been its fussiness, and in the long, enraptured section devoted to the hero's beloved, Rattle dawdles self-consciously over every sugary bar. But elsewhere he uncovers so much new detail that I was won over; this is a Heldenleben that underlines every expressive stroke from Strauss rather than being embarrassed by excess. The generous filler is a graceful, sensitively small-scale reading of the Bourgeois Gentilhomme Suite that Strauss concocted to resuce a pastiche of 18th-century music from the original, unworkable version of Ariadne auf Naxos. Both readings are from 2005, the Heldenleben recorded at a live concert, the Bourgeois Gentilhomme in the studio.

Without a doubt this CD sets a new standard in performance for one of Strauss's most extravangant tone poems. It's hard to imagine another orhestra that could duplicate it (if you have doubts, there's a new live Heldenleben from the Royal Concertgebouw under Mariss Jansons to put beside this one).

R. Strauss: Tod und Verklärung; Ein Heldenleben; Dance of the Seven Veils

Average customer rating:

Great Strauss, Great Price

R. Strauss: Tod und Verklärung; Ein Heldenleben; Dance of the Seven Veils

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Dances | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

R. Strauss: Also sprach Zarathustra; Till Eulenspppiegels lustige Streiche; Tod und Verklärung
Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra, Don Juan / Karajan
Strauss: Til Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks/Don Juan/Death And Transfiguration
Strauss: Four Last Songs / Karajan, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Dvorak: Slavonic Dances

ASIN: B00004VW0H
Release Date: 2000-08-01

Tracks:

Death And Transfiguration, Op.24
A Hero's Life, Op. 40: The Hero
A Hero's Life, Op. 40: The Hero's Adversaries
A Hero's Life, Op. 40: The Hero's Wife
A Hero's Life, Op. 40: Certainty Of Victory
A Hero's Life, Op. 40: The Hero's Battlefield
A Hero's Life, Op. 40: War Fanfares
A Hero's Life, Op. 40: The Hero's Works Of Peace
A Hero's Life, Op. 40: The Hero's Withdrawal From The World
A Hero's Life, Op. 40: Renunciation
Salome, Op.54 - Dance Of The Seven Veils

Customer Reviews:

Great Strauss, Great Price.......2003-06-08

This is a budget-line CD of Richard Strauss' Orchestral Works by the great Rudolf Kempe and the Staatskapelle Dresden. These works have previously been available on disc, and are collected along with Kempe's other brilliant Strauss recordings on a very affordable EMI box set. However, if all you want is a few of Strauss' better known pieces, this is a great place to start.

Music Review:

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