Strauss Conducts Strauss

On this CD:

1. Don Juan, tone poem for orchestra, Op. 20
Composed by Richard Strauss
Performed by Berlin State Choir
Conducted by Richard Strauss

2. Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche (Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks), tone poem for orchestra, Op. 28
Composed by Richard Strauss
Performed by Berlin State Choir
Conducted by Richard Strauss

3. Intermezzo, opera, Op. 72 Symphonisches Zwischenspiel
Composed by Richard Strauss
Performed by Berlin State Choir
Conducted by Richard Strauss

4. Salome, opera, Op. 54 Tanz der sieben Schleier
Composed by Richard Strauss
Performed by Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Conducted by Richard Strauss

5. Tod und Verklärung (Death and Transfiguration), tone poem for orchestra, Op. 24
Composed by Richard Strauss
Performed by Berlin State Choir
Conducted by Richard Strauss

6. Don Quixote, fantastic variations for cello & orchestra, Op. 35
Composed by Richard Strauss
Performed by Berlin State Choir with Enrico Mainardi, Georg Kniestadt
Conducted by Richard Strauss

7. Der Bürger als Edelmann (Le bourgeois gentilhomme), suite for orchestra, Op. 60 Der Bürger als Edelmann
Composed by Richard Strauss
Performed by Berlin State Choir
Conducted by Richard Strauss

8. Ein Heldenleben (A Hero's Life), tone poem for orchestra, Op. 40
Composed by Richard Strauss
Performed by Munich Bavarian State Orchestra
Conducted by Richard Strauss

9. Japanische Festmusik (Japanese Festival Music), for orchestra, Op. 84
Composed by Richard Strauss
Performed by Munich Bavarian State Orchestra
Conducted by Richard Strauss

10. Der Rosenkavalier, opera, Op. 59 Walzer-Folger
Composed by Richard Strauss
Performed by Munich Bavarian State Orchestra
Conducted by Richard Strauss

11. Der Rosenkavalier, opera: Suite for orchestra (1909 - 10) Walzer-Folger
Composed by Richard Strauss
Performed by Munich Bavarian State Orchestra
Conducted by Richard Strauss

Customer Reviews:

I've found my desert island disc.......2007-02-12

This legendary recording of the Alpine Symphony is the one to take to your desert island. It was made in 1941 but it sounds as though it was recorded yesterday. The original surface noise is filtered to near inaudibility - Dutton's restoration is a must-have. There's nothing like hearing Strauss conduct his own works during the wartime. Now that's history!

A milestone musical document!.......2005-10-10

Richard Strauss (1864-1949) was probably, the greatest composer-conductor of the century, rivaled perhaps by Gustav Mahler.
Strauss composed this work in the dawns of the WW1, 1914. Ten years had elapsed from the Domestic Symphony , fruitful period in which composed Electra, Salome, Das Rosenklavier and Ariadna in Naxos.

This work is to my taste together with Also Sprach Zaratustra and Death and transfiguration my favorite trilogy of him.

If you realize about the whole structure, which consists in just one movement, we can assume he was thinking in a very expansive tone-poem, his particular Pastoral dedicated to the impressive mountains and perpetual snows. He knew to extract the maximum possibilities of the orchestra, remarking the style of the symphonic ponderosity. A whole arsenal of the most unusual instruments: wind machine, thunder machine and cowbells, in addition to the usual percussion instruments, plus a specially organized brass group offstage consisting of twelve horns, two trumpets and two trombones. An ostentatious anachronism if you want, according the perspectives of that time.

The Bavarian State played this work with meticulous bravery, legitimate pride and profound conveyance. Apart the importance historic of this performance (Strauss in his 77), it remains in the surroundings a clear sensation of emotiveness and display of pronouncement respect these war years. You can feel it beneath the score.

There are in my opinion three legendary versions of the Alpine: a renown and admired performance of Zubin Meta with the Angeles Philharmonic from the seventies, a careful and elaborated performance of one of my favorite directors any time: I mean Rudolf Kempe and this one.

An invaluable performance that will endure securely the taste acid of the years, remaining such as a solid oak and also a historic legacy for the new generations who will survive us.

An artifact of the best kind.......2002-10-26

These performances have been around for awhile, but never sounding as sumptuous as they do here. The glorious "Alpine Symphony" was recorded in 1941 in Munich, and the "Don Juan" is from an astonishing 1929. (A performance of waltzes from "Rosenkavalier" is also included.) This disc shows that Strauss was not only a great composer but a superb conductor; his "Alpine Symphony" is as beautifully phrased as any I've ever heard (and there are many fine Strauss interpreters out there), and the Bavarian orchestra sounds lovely.

What struck me immediately about this disc is the brass timbre: much firmer, with almost no "wobble" than you typically hear in recordings of this era. There is a presence that one usually hears only in later, more modern efforts. And with the "Don Juan," recorded even earlier, it is quite amazing that this is listenable at all, but Dutton's engineers have managed to squeeze the most possible out of the tape.

However, it must be said that some listeners will still be impatient with the sound and require more contemporary recordings (such as those by von Karajan, Haitink or Blomstedt, for example), simply because with better sonics, the colossal orchestration of these pieces is shown to much better advantage.

Customer Reviews:

A Hero's Life - Strauss's orchestral showpiece .......2007-02-12

This inspired work blazes with intensity from the first note to the last. The recording has fabulous sound quality for it's time - Recorded in 1941. In fact it's better sounding than most recent recordings. The original surface noise is filtered to near inaudibility - Dutton's restoration is a must-have. There's nothing like hearing Strauss conduct his own works during the wartime. Now that's history!

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Minneapolis Symphony Shines Again
Dorati's MLP Gems Are Back!

Antal Dorati Conducts
Isaac Albeniz , stravinsky , Aaron Copland , richard strauss , George Gershwin , Modest Mussorgsky , Sergey Prokofiev , Gunther Schuller , Bedrich Smetana , de falla , bloch , Antal Dorati , London Symphony Orchestra , and Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra
Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000A5DLPG
Release Date: 2005-09-27

Customer Reviews:

Minneapolis Symphony Shines Again.......2005-11-11

This box set of recordings by the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra (known today as the Minnesota Orchestra) is a dream come true for anyone who grew up hearing this magnificent group either live or on LP. Listeners cannot help but be impressed by their remarkable clarity, rhythmic vitality, and artful precision (dare I call it the "Minneapolis Sound"?)- especially when you consider that these recordings were made in the 50s and 60s on the stage of Northrup Auditorium at the University of Minnesota.

Antal Dorati had a keen ear for orchestral color, and this collection is a lasting testament to his instincts. Anyone who reveres the old recordings by such conductors as Ormandy, Bernstein, Reiner, Szell, et al., are highly encouraged to check out this collection. The hauntingly exotic "Seven Studies on Themes of Paul Klee" by Gunther Schuller (commissioned by the Orchestra) is an all-too-rare gem that deserves to be heard - a modern-day "Pictures at an Exhibition".

Dorati carried his concepts of color over to his recordings with the London Symphony Orchestra, as the Stravinsky and Prokofiev selections will attest.

I encourage audiophiles to discover one of those "other" orchestras from "back then". I think it will be a "sound" investmment.

Dorati's MLP Gems Are Back!.......2005-10-03

Those familiar with my reviews on Amazon know of my great love for the Mercury Living Presence series. Equally great is my disgust that so many of these brilliant recordings have been deleted in the last few years! Thankfully, some of these legendary performances are resurfacing, and while the single disc SACD Hybrid titles are unfortunately listed at full-price, it is wonderful to see the various multi-disc sets basically being sold at budget line. With this 5CD reissue, some of Antal Dorati's legendary MLP recordings are restored to the catalog, as all of the original single issue CDs of these titles had all gone out-of-print over the last few years. To illustrate how prized these recordings are by collectors, if you wanted to buy these five titles just a few months ago in the Amazon Marketplace it would have cost you four times the price of this new set! Buying this collection for Dorati's accounts of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring and Petrouchka alone is worthwhile, as they are two of those works greatest performances. Of course getting memorable recordings of Strauss' Till Eulenspiegel, Don Juan, Death & Transfiguration and the conductor's own Suite from Der Rosenkavalier; Prokofiev's 5th Symphony and Suites from Scythian and Love for Three Oranges; Albeniz' Iberia Suite along with Falla, Moussorgsky and Smetana excerpts; and Gershwin's American in Paris, Copland's Rodeo Dances, and some wild Schuller and Bloch compositions (whew!) is just more to get excited about. Overall, it makes for quite an attractive package -- glorious golden age stereo recordings returned to the catalog at a very reasonable price. Once again, Mercury Living Presence lives!

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Paul Paray ... classical music's Lord of the Dance!
Truly Satanic.
"Fatal" Classical Music
Paray never was so inspired!
Epernay a la Paray

Paul Paray Conducts Dances of Death

Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

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Bizet: Carmen Suite; Arlésienne Suites Nos. 1 & 2; Thomas: Mignon & Raymond Overtures
Paul Paray Conducts French Orchestral Music
Enesco: Roumanian Rhapsody no 2
Chabrier: España, rhapsody; Bourrée fantasque
Antal Dorati Conducts

ASIN: B0000057M8
Release Date: 1994-06-14

Tracks:

Mephisto Waltz
Invitation To Dance, Op. 65
Danse Macabre, Op. 40
'Shalome': Dance Of The Seven Veils
La Tragedie de Salome, Op. 50: I. (a) Prelude - (b) Danse des perles - II. (a) Lent - (b) Les Enchantements sur la mer - (c) Danse des eclairs - (d) Danse de l'effroi

Customer Reviews:

Paul Paray ... classical music's Lord of the Dance!.......2007-03-04

For those who only know Paray's "dance moves" in the light opera overtures he was so famous for playing, you might be surprised that he can do the same in these rather more serious compositions. Too often, conductors think that compositions such as those here need to be done in a lugubrious manner. Not so! And Paray proves it. You won't hear a better Danse Macabre than the one on this recording. And the Mephisto Waltz is performed here as a true dance -- not some sort of mini symphonic poem that you often hear with others. The Florent Schmitt Salome is one of the most successful renditions of the work ever recorded -- it was the first one in stereo, and it's outlasted all the others that have come since. All in all, a very satisfying musical experience.

Truly Satanic........2006-09-29

If you want music that is truly satanic, then look no further than "Dances Of Death." I like Classical music that has to do with death, and this one is no acception. Songs like "Dance Of The Macabre" are much better than those so-called Classical Opera works that don't have any feeling in them. This Cd truly has emotions that will chill you to the core. Highly recommended along with the three act Opera of The Omen. This is true Classical music. Buy it...if you dare.

"Fatal" Classical Music.......2005-10-18

Paul Paray and his Detroit Symphony Orchestra were top exponents of a variety of classical music in the post-World War II Era. Paray, born in French-Canada, became an American icon in classical music at a time when Bernstein, Karajan, Solti and other brand name conductors far outshone him. In this album, Paray creatively compiles fatalistic music- that is music in which death or tragedy is mixed with the art of dancing. The first track is Lizst's popular Mephisto Waltz, a frenzy of fingering on the piano. Liszt was known for having a penchant for music that was both sensual and even frightening in its primal force. Weber's Invitation to the Dance is a rondo for piano and sounds excellent in symphonic form. Saint Saens Danse Macabre is, inevitably, on this recording and sounds dark and lilting at the same time. Strauss' Salome and Schmitt's Salomes are two different versions of the same story. Herod's wicked daughter falls for the languishing Prophet John the Baptist and after he rejects her advances asks for his head on a platter. Schmidtt's version is the more obscure rendition while Strauss' opera is more popular. Both are excellent danceable but dark musical pieces. This is a great recording and if you are into this kind of music you will definately enjoy it.

Paray never was so inspired!.......2004-07-15

Paul Paray built literally to Detroit Symphony , elevating his average performances in a real triumph . He gave balance , nuance and above all a deep expresiveness in every page he conducted . His predilect taste for the french music , however was not a serious obstacle to win in other battlefields .
This album is the best proof for this statement . The Macabre dance or the Mephisto waltz until the moment has not any other recording that even gets close in fierce intensity, dyonisiac fire and powerful wildness .
Buy this one . Its interpretative values are so many that it's useless to describe with all the adjectives that deserves it.
Bravo for Paul Paray!

Epernay a la Paray.......2001-04-19

This disk is selling a lot of copies since it represents the finest of Epernay vintages at a Korbel price.

Absolutely the only thing I would argue with here is that Paray didn't use a soprano for the wordless descant in the Schmitt...here it's relegated to oboe, which Schmitt allowed, but what a soloist he is! Paray makes a case for Schmitt's counterpoint, of all things, but it makes superb sense: this is a ballet after all and the only way a dancer would hear what she needs from the pit is to hear the beat and the counterpoint. No one else has ever thought of it and it says quite a bit about the standard of Schmitt as a composer. As ever, you end up learning something every time you listen to one of Paray's uniformly inspired performances. Too bad he didn't essay Malipiero's Pantea which is designed idependently but separately for solo dancer!

The balance of the disk is no less exemplary. Everything sounds fresh, the orchestral execution is so astonishingly accomplished that it is no wonder Le Mousnier in his bio of Paray draws telling parallels with Toscanini. Yet Paray's not Toscanini--he's unique among maestri. If you read transcripts from Paray's rehearsals, the mystery only deepens as to what it was that he did to get such inordinately extraordinary results, such as this program demonstrates. He talks a lot, is very literate, tells lots of jokes, conveys his admiration of his musicians constantly.

But lots of great maestri have done that. We'll probably never know...and that's the mystery of great art.

Tracks:

Ariadne Auf Naxos, Op.60: Vorspiel Zur Op - Maria Cebotari/Karl Friedrich/Margaret Field-Hyde/Gwladys Garside/Edith Furmedge
Ariadne Auf Naxos, Op.60: Schlussszene: Ein Schones Wunder! - Maria Cebotari/Karl Friedrich/Margaret Field-Hyde/Gwladys Garside/Edith Furmedge
Elektra, Op.58: Erkennungsszene: Was Willst Du, Fremder Mensch? - Erna Schluter/Paul Schoffler/Ernst Erbach/Walter Widdop/Ljuba Welitsch
Elektra, Op.58: Finale: Es Muss Etwas Geschehen Sein - Erna Schluter/Paul Schoffler/Ernst Erbach/Walter Widdop/Ljuba Welitsch

Customer Reviews:

Glorious Strauss from 1947, but in quite dated sound.......2006-03-15

It wasn't until the LP era and then the advent of stereo that oepra came to be realistically recorded. You'll need tolerance to listen to these 1947 excerpts from Ariadne auf Naxos and Elektra under Beecham, but if you can get past the boxy sound and occasional microphone distortion, these are glorious recordings. Beecham had just held a Strauss festival in London, a great celebration of the 85-year-old composer, who came out of exile to attend(taking the first airplane ride of his life) and even conducted a performance of his Sinfonia Domestica.

There are great Strauss singers like Maria Cebotari and Ljuba Welitsch to be heard here, and no one is less than good--most of them came from the company of the Vienna State Opera--but it's Beecham's show musically. He proves himself to be a committed, warm-hearted Straussian. No wonder, since he premiered Elektra, Salome, and Rosenkavalier in London. I wish the sound were better; it's dim even by the standards of the time. But the surfaces are completley silent, and after a period of adjustment I found it easy to get into the prevailing spirit of the venture, which is both intense and joyous.

Richard Strauss conducts Richard Strauss

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Richard Strauss conducts Richard Strauss

Manufacturer: Symposium
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00000I5GN
Release Date: 1999-03-02

Tracks:

Don Juan, Op.20 - Der Koniglichen Kapelle, Berlin/Dr. Richard Strauss
Till Eulenspiegels Lustige Streiche, Op.28 - Der Koniglichen Kapelle, Berlin/Dr. Richard Strauss
Heimkehr, Op.15, No.5 - Heinrich Schlusnus
Ich Liebe Dich, Op.37, No.2 - Heinrich Schlusnus
Ruhe, Meine Seele, Op.27, No.1 - Heinrich Schlusnus
Zueignung, Op.10, No.1 - Heinrich Schlusnus
Die Nacht, Op.10, No.3 - Heinrich Schlusnus
Das Geheimnis, Op.17, No.3 - Heinrich Schlusnus
Breit Uber Mein Haupt, Op.19, No.2 - Robert Hutt
Morgen!, Op.27, No.4 - Robert Hutt
Der Rosenkavalier. Muzik Zu Dem Film, Op.59b: I. Teil. Intro To Act I Part I - The Augmented Tivoli Orch/Richard Strauss
Der Rosenkavalier. Muzik Zu Dem Film, Op.59b: I. Teil. Prasentiermarsch - The Augmented Tivoli Orch/Richard Strauss
Der Rosenkavalier. Muzik Zu Dem Film, Op.59b: I. Teil: Uberreichung Der Silbernen Rose - The Augmented Tivoli Orch/Richard Strauss
Der Rosenkavalier. Muzik Zu Dem Film, Op.59b: I. Teil: Octavian Und Sophie - The Augmented Tivoli Orch/Richard Strauss
Der Rosenkavalier. Muzik Zu Dem Film, Op.59b: I. Teil: Walzer-Ende Des Ersten Teils - The Augmented Tivoli Orch/Richard Strauss
Der Rosenkavalier. Musik Zu Dem Film, Op.59b: II. Teil: Walzer - The Augmented Tivoli Orch/Richard Strauss
Der Rosenkavalier. Musik Zu Dem Film, Op.59b: II. Teil: Trio & Finale Part 1/Trio & Finale Part 2 - The Augmented Tivoli Orch/Richard Strauss

Mengelberg Conducts Strauss: Ein Heldenleben / Don Juan (also includes Wagenaar: Cyrano de Bergerac Overture)

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At last! The great New York Heldenleben!

Mengelberg Conducts Strauss: Ein Heldenleben / Don Juan (also includes Wagenaar: Cyrano de Bergerac Overture)
Richard Strauss , Johan Wagenaar , Willem Mengelberg , Scipione Guidi , Concertgebouw Orchestra - Amsterdam , and New York Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra
Manufacturer: Pearl
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Mengelberg: Wagner; R. Strauss; Mahler
Strauss Conducts Ein Heldenleben
Mengelberg: Maestro Appassionato (Box Set)
Richard Strauss: Ein Heldenleben, Tod und Verklarung
Mengelberg Conducts Beethoven - Symphonies no 1, 3-6 & 8

ASIN: B00000604Q
Release Date: 1998-04-21

Tracks:

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 Fulfilment
Don Juan, Op. 20
Cyrano de Bergerac: Overture 'Cyrano de Bergerac'

Amazon.com

Wilhelm Mengelberg was one of the great conductors of the century and this 1928 Heldenleben is one of the great recordings of the century. There's a comprehensive mastery in this recording that made it an instant classic when it was first released and it continues to repay repeated hearings. Mengelberg's interpretive subtleties enliven what often seems just a pot-boiler; his sensitive rubatos and discreet portamentos make phrases come alive. The orchestra is perfection itself, and concertmaster Scipione Guidi's rapt violin solos are riveting. Mark Obert-Thorn's transfers make the recording sound as if it was made two decades later. The Concertgebouw items, from 1938 and 1942, are also compelling, with a fleet, vivacious Don Juan the main attraction. --Dan Davis

Customer Reviews:

At last! The great New York Heldenleben!.......2000-07-19

Strauss dedicated "Ein Heldenleben"to Mengelberg, and it's easy to see why when listening to this recording. No other conductor brings such surging life to this score. Normally, I find Mengelberg's Concertgebouw recordings even more intense than the corresponding Philharmonic versions, but this is a glorious exception. Pearl's transfer is the only one faithful to the sound of the original 78's, and preserves the wide dynamic range of the originals. The Telefunken Concertgebouw "Don Juan" also finds its best-sounding incarnation in this release. I can't imagine anyone listening to this set and not changing their minds about "Ein Heldenleben" for the better. Mengelberg is a refreshing change from today's sterile music-making. Listen and see if you agree.

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Kemp Conducts Richard Strauss-2

Manufacturer: Angel Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Dances | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000002S3M
Release Date: 1992-09-29

Tracks:

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

Tracks:

Salome, Op.54: Dance Of The Seven Veils
Le Gourgeois Gentilhomme - Suite, Op. 60: Overture
Le Gourgeois Gentilhomme - Suite, Op. 60: Jourdain - Minuet
Le Gourgeois Gentilhomme - Suite, Op. 60: The Fencing Master
Le Gourgeois Gentilhomme - Suite, Op. 60: Entrance And Dance Of The Tailors
Le Gourgeois Gentilhomme - Suite, Op. 60: Minuet Of Lully
Le Gourgeois Gentilhomme - Suite, Op. 60: Courante
Le Gourgeois Gentilhomme - Suite, Op. 60: Entry Of Cleonte
Le Gourgeois Gentilhomme - Suite, Op. 60: Intermezzo
Le Gourgeois Gentilhomme - Suite, Op. 60: The Dinner
Schlagobers, Op. 70
Josephslegende, Op. 63

Tracks:

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

Amazon.com essential recording

By the time he reached the twilight of his life, in the 1940s, Richard Strauss was viewed as a throwback, a conservator of the German romantic tradition. But that was hardly his reputation as a young man, when each new symphonic poem to issue from his pen seemed more extreme and outlandish than its predecessor. Certainly that was the case with the 32-year-old Strauss's mammoth meditation on Nietzsche's Also sprach Zarathustra, famous for its opening (used in Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey) and enigmatic final cadence. This was modern music in 1896, its profligate orchestral effects about as far out as anyone thought music could get. Strauss even said he wanted to subtitle the piece "Symphonic Optimism in Fin-de-siècle Form, Dedicated to the 20th Century."

How different the 20th century turned out to be. Yet this music has certainly become one of its icons. It is heard to great advantage here, along with a remarkable array of other Straussian concoctions, some quite familiar, some not. Of the world's great orchestras, none has a more distinguished Strauss tradition than the Staatskapelle Dresden. As the pit orchestra of the Dresden Court Opera, it gave the premieres of Feuersnot, Salome, Elektra, and Der Rosenkavalier between 1901 and 1911; later, with Karl Böhm conducting, it played the premiere of Daphne.