Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra/Don Juan

1. Also sprach Zarathustra (Thus Spoke Zoroaster), tone poem for orchestra, Op. 30
Composed by Richard Strauss
with London Philharmonic Orchestra
Conducted by Klaus Tennstedt

2. Don Juan, tone poem for orchestra, Op. 20
Composed by Richard Strauss
with London Philharmonic Orchestra
Conducted by Klaus Tennstedt

3. Frühling ("In dämmrigen Grüften träumte ich lang"), song for voice & orchestra, AV 150/1
Composed by Richard Strauss
with London Philharmonic Orchestra
Conducted by Klaus Tennstedt

Tracks:

Brandenbutg Concerto No.3 In G First Movement
Overture No.3 In D Second Movement
Violin Concerto In E First Movement
Prelude In C minor
Jesu Bleibet Meine Freude (Chorus From Cantata No.147)
Overture No.2 In B minor Minuet And Badinerie
Oboe Concerto In D minor Second Movement
Brandenburg Concerto No.4 In G Third Movement
Musical Offering - Fuga canonica
Easter Oratorio - Overture
Minuet In D minor
Kommst Du Nun, Jesu, Vom Himmel herunter(From Choral Prelude BWV 650
Brandenburg Concerto No.1 In F Second Movement
Art Of The Fugue - Contrapunctus 9
Concerto For Flute, Violin, Harpsichord And Strings. Triple Concerto - Third Movement
Overture No.4 In D - Réjouissance
Concerto No. 1 in E: Spring
Concerto No. 1 in E: Spring
Concerto No. 1 in E: Spring
Concerto No. 2 in G minor: Summer
Concerto No. 2 in G minor: Summer
Concerto No. 2 in G minor: Summer
Concerto No. 3 in F: Autumn
Concerto No. 3 in F: Autumn
Concerto No. 3 in F: Autumn
Concerto No. 4 in F minor: Winter
Concerto No. 4 in F minor: Winter
Concerto No. 4 in F minor: Winter
Concerto for Flute, Strings & Basso Continuo in G minor, Op. 10, no.2
Concerto for Flute, Strings & Basso Continuo in G minor, Op. 10, no.2
Concerto for Flute, Strings & Basso Continuo in G minor, Op. 10, no.2
Concerto for Flute, Strings & Basso Continuo in G minor, Op. 10, no.2
Concerto for Flute, Strings & Basso Continuo in G minor, Op. 10, no.2
Concerto for Flute, Strings & Basso Continuo in G minor, Op. 10, no.2
Concerto Grosso in A minor, Op. 3, no. 8
Concerto Grosso in A minor, Op. 3, no. 8
Concerto Grosso in A minor, Op. 3, no. 8
Water Music - Alla Hornpipe
Xerxes - Ombra Mai Fu (Largo)
Messiah - And The Glory Of The Lord
Concerto Grosso In A Minor, Op. 6, No. 4 - Larghetto Affettuoso
Organ Concerto In F, Op. 4, No. 4 Allegro
Water Music - Air
Messiah - For Unto Us A Child Is Born
Concerto Grosso In B flat, Op. 3, No. 2 - Largo
Salomon - Sinfonia, Act 3
The Choice Of Hercules - While For Thy Arms
Water Music - Allegro (Suite No. 1)
Suite No. 5 In E - Air With Variations
Jephtha - How Dark, O Lord
Organ Concerto In F, Op. 4, No. 5 Alla Siciliana - Presto
Mi Palpita Il Cor (Solo Cantata) S'un Di M'adora
Water Music - Andante Allegro Da Capo
Concerto for Trumpet & Orchestra in E-flat: First Movement
Symphony No. 94 in G: Surprise Symphony-second movement
Concerto for Violin No. 2 in D: Third Movement
Flute Trio No. 31 in G: Second Movement
Symphony No. 31 in D: Hornsignal-First Movement
String Quartet No. 17 in F, Op. 3, no. 5: Serenade Quartet-Second Movement
Sinfonia Concertante in B-flat for Violin, Cello, Oboe, Bassoon and Orchestra-Third Movement
Concerto for 2 Horns & Orchestra in E-flat: Second Movement
Symphony No. 88 in G: Fourth Movement
String Quartet No. 77 in C: Kaiser Quartet-Poco adagio cantabile
Notturno No. 1 in C: Second Movement
Symphony No. 98 in B: Londoner No. 4-Fourth Movement
Eine Kleine Nachtmusik - first movement
Piano Concerto in A - second movement
Flute Concerto in D - Rondeau
Serenade - Minuet
Violin Concerto - first movement
Symphony No. 40 in G minor - first movement
Clarinet Concerto - second movement
Turkish March
Divertimento - Minuet
Horn Concerto No. 3 in E-flat - first movement
Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67-First Movement
Piano Sonata No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 27, no. 2: Moonlight Sonata-First Movement
Overture
O welche Lust (Prisoners' Chorus)
Ha, welch ein Augenblick (Pizarros's Aria)
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37: Second Movement
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D, Op. 61: Third Movement
Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor, Op. 13: Pathétique-Second Movement
Sympony No. 6 in F, Op. 68: Pastorale-First Movement
Fantasy for Piano, Chorus and Orchestra in C minor, Op. 80: Choral Fantasy - Finale
German Dance No. 1 In C
Impromptu Op. 90, No. 3 In G-Flat
Heidenroslein
Ave Maria
Der Lindenbaum
Quintet In A 'Trout Quintet' - Andante
Mass No. 6 In E-Flat - Kyrie
Die Schone Mullerin Des Mullers Blumen
German Dance No. 2 In G
Piano Sonata In B-Flat
Nachtgesang Im Walde
Winterreise - No. 15: Die Krahe
German Mass - Zum Sanctus (Heilit, Heilig Ist Der Herr)
Symphony No. 8 In B Minor 'Unfinished' - Second Movement
Waltz No. 1 in E-flat, Op. 18 Grande Valse brillante
Nocturne in E-flat, Op. 9, no. 2
Etude in G-flat, Op. 10, no. 5
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 2 in F minor, Op. 21-Second Movement
Mazurka in D minor, Op. 33, no. 2
Prelude in D-flat, Op. 28, no. 15 Raindrop
Etude in C, Op. 10, no. 1
Nocturne in D-flat, Op. 27, no. 2
Impromptu No. 4 in C-sharp minor, Op. 66 Fantasy Impromptu
Scherzo in B minor, Op. 20
Piano Sonata No. 2 in B-flat minor, Op. 35-Third Movement
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 1 in E minor, Op. 11 - Third Movement
Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor - first movement 113.String Seranade - Waltz
Violin Concerto - second movement
The Sleeping Beauty - Waltz
Capriccio Italien, Op. 45
Swan Lake - Waltz
Eugene Onegin - Polonaise
The Nutcracker - Waltz of the Flowers
Orchestral Suite No. 4 - Mozartiana - Third Movement
Swan Lake - Dance of the Swans
Symphony No. 6 in B minor - Pathétique - Third Movement
Hungarian Dance No.5
Lullaby
Symphony No.1 in C minor, Op. 68 - Third Movement
Intermezzo in E-flat, Op.117, no. 1
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D, Op. 77 - Third Movement
Waltz, Op. 39, no. 15
Concert for Piano and Orchestra No. 2 in B-flat, Op. 83 - Second Movement
String Quintet in G, Op. 111 - Second Movement
Symphony No.4 in E minor, Op. 98 - Third Movement
Intermezzo in A minor, Op. 76, no. 7
Hungarian Dance No.1 in G minor
German Requiem Selig sind die Toten (Final Chorus)
Die Fledermaus - Overture
Kaiser Waltz, Op.437
Thunder And Lightning Polka, Op. 324
Roses From The South Waltz, Op. 388
AnnenPolka, Op. 117
Vienna Blood Waltz, Op. 354
Eljen A Magyar Polka, Op. 332
Wine, Women and Song Waltz, Op. 333
On The Beautiful Blue Danube Waltz, Op. 134
Die Meistersinger Von Nurnberg - Overture
Tannhauser - Die Pilger sind's (Pilgims' Chorus)
Tannhauser - O du mein holder Abendstern (Wolfram's Aria)
Lohengrin - Act 3 Prelude and Bridal Chorus
The Flying Dutchman - Jo-ho-he Traft ihr das Schiff (Senta's Ballad)
The Flying Dutchman - Steuermann, lass die Wacht (Sailors' Chorus)
Die Walkure - Wintersturme wichen dem Wonnemond (Siegmund's Aria)
Die Walkure - Ride of the Valkyries
Siegfried Hoho! Hoho! Hohei! Schmiede mein Hammer (Siegfried's Forging Song)
Tristan und Isolde - Liebestod
Thus sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30 (excerpt)
Don Juan, Op. 20
Eine Alpensinfonie, Op. 64, I.Nacht
Don Quixote, Op.35, first movement: Introduction
Salome, Op. 54, Dance Of The Seven Veils
Der Rosenkavalier, Op. 59, Finale: Hab' mir's gelobt ihn lieb zu haben
Piano Concerto 2 In C minor, Op. 18 - First Movement
Vocalise, Op.34, No. 14
Prelude In G Sharp minor, Op. 32, No. 12
Piano Concerto No. 4 In G minor, Op. 40 - Third Movement
Symphony No. 2 In E minor, Op. 27 - Third Movement
Piano Concerto No. 1 In F sharp minor, Op. 1 - Second Movement
Rhapsody, Op. 43 On A Theme By Paganini
Hungarian Rhapsody No.2
Liebestraum No.3 in A-flat
Piano Concerto No.1 in E-flat - third movement
Angelus
Mephisto Waltz No.1 (Dance in a Village Tavern)
Prelude and Fugue on B-A-C-H
Dante Symphony - Finale. - Purgatorio - Magnificat
Les Préludes
Boléro
Daphnis et Chloé first movement: Nocturne
Rhapsodie Espagnole
Shéhérazade - first movement: Asie
Ma Mère l'Oye - fourth movement: La Belle et la Bête
Introduction and Allegro for Harp, Flute, Clarinet, and String Quartet
La Valse
Slavic Dance No. 1 in C, Op. 46, no.1
Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op. 95 'From the New World' - second movement
Humoresque, Op. 101
Slavic Dance No. 8 in G minor, Op. 46, no. 8
Serenade for String Orchestra, Op. 22 - second movement
Romance for Violin and Orchestra In F minor, Op. 11
Symphony No. 7 in D minor - third movement
Melodie (Songs My Mother Taught Me)
Carneval Overture, Op. 92
Concerto for Cello and Orchestra in B minor, Op. 104 - third movement
Symphony No.4 In A, Op. 90. Italian - First Movement
Frühlingslied In A, Op. 62, No. 6
Wedding March (From A Midsummer Night's Dream, Op.61)
Duetto In F, Op.30, No.6 (From Songs Without Words)
String Symphony No.9 In C. Schweitzer Symphony - Third Movement
Concerto For Violin, Piano And String Orchestra No. 1 In D minor - Second Movement
Symphony No.3 In A minor, Op.56 Scottish - Third Movement"
Notturno (From A Midsumment Night's Dream, Op. 61)
Rondo Capriccioso, Op.14
String Symphony No. 12 In G minor - First Movement
Venetian Gondola Song In F Sharp minor, Op.30, No.6
Scherzo (From A Midsumment Night's Dream, Op. 61)
Violin Concerto In E minor, Op.64 - Third Movement
Peer Gynt - Suite No. 1, Op. 46 - Morgenstimmung
Holberg Suite, Op. 40 - I. Prelude. Allegro vivace
Holberg Suite, Op. 40 - IV. Air. Andante religioso
Arietta, Op. 12, no. 1
Homage March from Sigurd Jorsalfar, Op. 56
Peer Gynt - Suite No. 2, Op. 55 - Solveig's Song
Wedding Day at Troldhauen, Op. 65, no. 6
The Last Spring, Op. 34, no. 2
Peer Gynt - Suite No. 1, Op 46 - Anitra's Dance
Nordic Melody Op. 63
Notturno, Op. 54, no. 4
Elegie, Op. 47, no. 5
Peer Gynt - Suite No. 2, Op. 55 - Arabic Dance
Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16 - Allegro
Symphony No. 3 in E flat, Op. 97 - Rhenish - first movement
Traumerai (from Kinderszenen, Op. 15)
Mondnacht (from Eichendorff-Liederkreis, Op. 39)
Aufschwung (from Fantasietucke, Op. 12)
Triolett, Op. 114, no. 2
Tanzlied (No. 1 from Duets, Op. 78)
Symphony No. 4 in D minor, Op. 120 - second movement
Frühlingsgruss
Abschied (from Waldszenen Op. 82)
Dichterliebe, Op. 48 - Im wunderschonen Monat Mai
Manfred Overture, Op. 115
Romance in F sharp, Op. 28, no. 2
Die Rose stand im Tau
Liebesgarten (from Four Duets, Op. 34)
Warum? (from Fantasiestucke, Op. 12)
Kennst du das Land, Op.79, no. 29 (from Lieder der Mignon, Op. 98a)
Von fremden Landern und Menschen (from Kinderszenen, Op. 15)

Album Description

An extraordinary 20-CD collection of great works by Bach, Vivaldi, Handel, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Chopin, Tchaikovsky, Brahms, Ravel, Mendelssohn, Rachmaninoff, J. Strauss, R. Strauss, Schumann, Wagner, Dvorak, Grieg and Liszt. It also features worldrenowned artists such as Sir Neville Marriner, Martha Argerich, Ivo Pogorelich, Hermann Prey, Reiner Goldberg, Sylvia Sass, Jochen Kowalski, Peter Schreler and many more. This exquisite, copper metallic, deluxe boxed set is the perfect gift for the classical music neophyte.

Customer Reviews:

Mill. Classical review.......2007-05-13

This is a great set of recordings for the money, the only problem was I've had to clean some of the CD's before they played correctly.

classical music for the unitiated.......2007-04-01

This set is a good way to start listening to classical music. It's very well produced and easy to listen to. I purchased it to use as part of my world history high school class. It would have been nice to have some bio information on the composers. However, the product is exactly as advertised and good value for the money. The students were intrigued by how many of the excerpts they had heard before.

Some little gems there that I had forgotten!.......2007-03-30

Although I studied classical music at school, I had all but forgotten it until I bought this set. I heard several tracks I haven't heard for over 30 years, and I had been humming Brahms's 'Hungarian Dance no. 5' for years without ever knowing what it was and it was on the disc, so that was nice.

I found it to be a very good selection overall, but I felt too much had already been heard on TV, which of course is what lots of newcomers to classical music might appreciate. I managed to find about 2 hours of tracks that I wanted to keep, which works out quite expensive per disc, but I did find some wonderful music I had completely forgotten about, so it was worth it. All in all, it represents good value, and I have only knocked one star off as so much of it had been used in adverts.

It is definitely a good introduction to classical music, and it has made me want to listen to more of it, so I don't regret this 'expensive' purchase one bit!

Classical Masterpieces of the Millennium [20 CD Set]

A very helpful collection.......2007-03-24

I define this set as an excellent way to find out who you like, and who you don't, among 20 of the important composers. It opens the door to purchasing more complete pieces by composers you do like, and can save a lot of time and money in the process.
To criticize the set for not containing more composers, or more than just snippets of those who are in the set, is missing the point: it is a helpful introduction to finding your way in the huge maze of classical music. It succeeds admirably in this.
Sound quality is uniformly very good on an audiophile system.
Highly recommended.

Excellent!.......2007-03-08

A great way to start a classical music collection. It's nice to have a full CD of each composer. It makes it easy to keep track of selections/composers I already have and what composers I still need to puchase to complete my collection.

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

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

Classical | Box Sets | Stores | Music

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.

Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra, Don Juan / Karajan

Average customer rating:

Excellent Strauss representative in a modest collection
Great, But Karajan's Digital Zarathustra is even better!
Til Eulenspiegel is the reason I have this C.D.!
The greatest recording of Zarathustra ?
Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra, Don Juan / Karajan

Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra, Don Juan / Karajan

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000001GQT
Release Date: 1996-04-09

Tracks:

Thus Spoke Zarathustra - Tone-poem For Large Orchestra (Freely After Friedrich Nietzsche): Einleitung - Introduction
Thus Spoke Zarathustra - Tone-poem For Large Orchestra (Freely After Friedrich Nietzsche): Von den Hinterweltlern - Of The Backworldsmen
Thus Spoke Zarathustra - Tone-poem For Large Orchestra (Freely After Friedrich Nietzsche): Von der grossen Sehnsucht - Of The Great Longing
Thus Spoke Zarathustra - Tone-poem For Large Orchestra (Freely After Friedrich Nietzsche): Von den Freuden und Leidenschaften - Of Joys And Passions
Thus Spoke Zarathustra - Tone-poem For Large Orchestra (Freely After Friedrich Nietzsche): Das Grablied - The Song Of The Grave
Thus Spoke Zarathustra - Tone-poem For Large Orchestra (Freely After Friedrich Nietzsche): Von der Wissenschaft - Of Science And Learning
Thus Spoke Zarathustra - Tone-poem For Large Orchestra (Freely After Friedrich Nietzsche): Der Genesende - The Convalescent
Thus Spoke Zarathustra - Tone-poem For Large Orchestra (Freely After Friedrich Nietzsche): Das Tanzlied - The Dance-Song
Thus Spoke Zarathustra - Tone-poem For Large Orchestra (Freely After Friedrich Nietzsche): Nachtwandlerlied - Song Of The Night Wanderer
Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche Op. 28 - Nach alter Schelmenweise - In Rondeauform: Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks - After An Old Picaresque Legend - In Rondeau Form
Don Juan Op. 20: Tondichtung nach Nikolaus Lenau - Tone-poem After Nikolaus Lenau
Salome: Tanz der sieben Schleier - Dance Of The Seven Veils

Amazon.com essential recording

Herbert von Karajan was a Strauss specialist, and if ever composer and conductor were united in musical philosophy, then these two were. Both favored making a beautiful, creamy, homogenized sound over just about all else, and von Karajan clearly relished the opportunities this music offered for playing that combined both tonal opulence and virtuosity. His Zarathustra (a.k.a. 2001: A Space Odyssey) is, along with Fritz Reiner's, probably among the two or three best performances preserved on disc, and von Karajan is nearly flawless on the other works as well. More good news: DG has given him warm, rich sound that's much better than their Berlin average. An essential Strauss collection. --David Hurwitz

Amazon.com

The readings from Herbert von Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic are exquisitely played and splendidly recorded. Von Karajan's way with the music is supple, suave, and dashingly characterful, and his tempos are faultlessly judged. The orchestra is at its best, remarkable for the silky transparency it brings to the texture and the fascinating detail of the solo work--not least, the flute solos by James Galway, then a member of the BPO. The recording has been optimally transferred and presents a solid image. --Ted Libbey

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Strauss representative in a modest collection.......2007-05-03

This is another example of 'big' music, major works by Strauss by THE major post WW II German conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic. I probably would have never bothered to spend much time listening to Richard Strauss if it were not for the fact that the first few bars of 'Also Sprach Zarathustra' was the opening music for Stanley Kubrick's '2001'. And, I believe it was this version (or one sounding extremely similar to this one) which was used by Kubrick. As a fan of liturgical music, I have to say that Strauss' 'Zarathustra' may be thought of as 'anti-liturgical' music, since it takes its title and temper from the philosopher Friedrich Nietsche's most famous work, a distinctly anti-Christian, existential source document. The other works on this recording are also 'high' Strauss, especially 'Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche', a celebration of classic German folklore.

There must be hundreds of 'Zarathustra' recordings, but if you must have at least one, this one is a winner, especially at the price.

Great, But Karajan's Digital Zarathustra is even better!.......2005-12-24

Herbert von Karajan recorded the great Strauss tone-poem Also Sprach Zarathustra three times, each time it was exceptional and each record ranks at the top of the mountain, so to speak. The first record was in 1959 with the Vienna Philharmornic. That was the version used by Stanley Kubrick in 2001: A Space Odyssey. This version that I'm reviewing here is from 1974 with the Berlin Philharmonic and there is a final version from 1983, also with Berlin. This 1974 account is probably the second best ever, only the later digital version is superior. It's not a superior interpretation, ( Karajan was always inspired in this music ), it's just that the later version has a deeper bass sound which adds greatly to the awesome experience. The later version, coupled with the tone-poem Don Juan is on the Karajan Gold disc, catalog number 439 016-2. Make sure you get that Gold disc. If you're a fan of this work, you might want to get them both as there are a few, albeit, slight differences in the 2 recordings.

On this 1974 record I'm reviewing, track 2, Of the Backworldsmen is tremendously powerful, such sweeping string sound unlike in any Zarathustra you've ever heard, it's better than Karajan's later version in this part. However the later version is more significant in the opening and later parts like Of Joys and Passions and as well as the rich, deep restatement of the Sunrise theme.

As for the music itself, Zarathustra is one of the most evocative and fascinating of the orchestral works of Strauss, from the famous opening to the transcendent fury to come to the hushed, meditative polytonal ending, contrasting the two keys representing man and nature. I want to pay particular attention to a couple of passages that display Strauss' strengths and weaknesses in this work. Listen to track 6, subtitled Of Science and Learning. Strauss composes a fugue based on all 12 tones of the chromatic scale, years before Schoenberg's shenanigans. The fugue is great, a dark sound rumbling from the bowels of the orchestra and then it grows and grows and wham, you get this ultra sweet sound on high violins! What's up with that? Strauss schmaltzing it up! Well, you can't have everything. Later in the work, Strauss uses the Viennesse waltz to convey the dance of Nietzsche's Superman. This is Strauss being at his ironic and humorous best and worst! Later the orchestra expands and explodes with unrelenting force in the part just before the Midnight Bell and then the music closes beautifully in the Song of the Grave. All in all, the tone-poem is a stunning display of orchestral wizardry and power and no composer in history could utilize the modern orchestra to the farthest range of it's capabilities like Richard Strauss. ( Gustav Mahler, Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Maurice Ravel and Ottorino Respighi are four challengers. )

The other works on this CD are quite a success as well, Karajan loved the tone-poem Don Juan and played it many times, Till Eulenspiegel is played well too, I might prefer Haitink's version here. The dance of the seven veils from Salome is highly sensual, but I prefer the power and sexual excitement of Solti's recording for this Salome excerpt.

I've heard many Zarathustras, two versions by Solti, the 1954 and 1960 Reiner versions as well as Kempe, Sawallisch, Boulez and others, but it's Karajan I return to. This 1974 is top of the line but make sure to add the digital 1983 recording to your collection as well, turn it up loud and be swept into ecstasy while sending all your neighbors into a fury!

Til Eulenspiegel is the reason I have this C.D.!.......2005-10-19

Herbert Von Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic did a splendid job on one of my personal favorite classic pieces, Til Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks. It's 15 minutes worth of wonderful music put together in this C.D. along with Also Sprach Zarathustra! Enjoyable listening with this c.d.!!

The greatest recording of Zarathustra ?.......2005-09-13

Karajan and his beloved Berlin Philharmonic have been accused of "over indulgency" (for example, in the complete recordings of the Beethoven Symphonies, also available on Deutsche Gramaphon). However, the same cannot be said for this recording. Lustrous strings, powerful brass and clear and concise woodwinds, all combined under the virtuosity of probably, at the time, the world's greatest conductor with the world's greatest orchestra !

The opening of Zarathustra (made famous to the point of boring repetition from the movie 2001, a space odyssey), is easily susceptible to over emotional interpretation from the conductor; not so here.It is delivered with subtlety and combined with the awe inspiring power one would expect from the combination of the reputation of such a conductor and such an orchestra.

This almost "hands-off" interpretation of the work extends to the other Richard Strauss works also on the CD; Til Eulenspiegel, Don Juan and Salome, Dance of the Seven veils. For ANYONE interested in the works of this German composer, this CD is an absolute MUST!!! In over 35 years of listening to classical music, I would say this superbly re engineered recording from the original of 1974 represents the geatest interpretation ever made on vinyl (or in this case, digital)media of Strauss' best music.

An absolutely wonderful CD demonstrating the technical AND musical skills of an orchestra that during the 1970's and 80's was regarded as the world's best, being conducted by a conductor who, for over 30 years, was regarded as the world's best!

Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra, Don Juan / Karajan.......2005-08-09

Excellent items! Fast delivery. Thanks.

Average customer rating:

first-rate interpretations, second-rate recorded sound
Not worth it!!!!!!!
Wonderful Interpretation throughout.

Strauss: Tone Poems

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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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.

R. Strauss: Zarathustra; Don Juan; 4 Last Songs, etc.

Average customer rating:

WONDERFUL!!
Good remasterings of Karajan classics
Karajan's Greatest Strauss hits?`

R. Strauss: Zarathustra; Don Juan; 4 Last Songs, etc.

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00008CLNW
Release Date: 2003-05-13

Tracks:

Introduction
Of The Backworldsmen
Of The Great Longing
Of Joys And Passions
The Song Of The Grave
Of Science And Learning
The Convalescent
The Dance-Song
Song Of The Night Wanderer
Tone Poem After Nikolaus Lenau
Fruhling - Anna Tomowa-Sintow
September - Anna Tomowa-Sintow
Beim Schlafengehen - Anna Tomowa-Sintow
Im Abendrot - Anna Tomowa-Sintow

Tracks:

Night
Sunrise
The Ascent
Entering The Forest
Wandering By The Brook
By The Waterfall
Apparition
Flowery Meadows
In The Mountain Pasture
On The Wrong Track Through Thickets And Undergrowth
On The Glacier
Precarious Moments
On The Summit
Vision
Rising Mists
The Sun Gradually Dims
Elegy
Calm Before The Storm
Thunderstorm, Descent
Sunset
Epilogue
Night
After An Old Picaresque Legend - In Rondeau Form
Tanz Der Sieben Schleier

Customer Reviews:

WONDERFUL!!.......2007-03-02

Strauss bajo la batuta de Karajan por lo general logro un sonido solido y preciso, este album doble no es la excepcion, la Filarmonica de Berlin inmaculada gracias al trabajo arduo del director austriaco, que por cierto en la actualidad pareciera que va perdiendo un poco ese sonido preciso y caracteristico.
Recomiendo este cd para quien quiera tener su primera aproximacion a Strauss, excelente interpretacion y muy buena remasterizacion.
VERY GOOD!!!

Good remasterings of Karajan classics.......2006-01-20

Half of this bargain two-fer comes from the Sevenites (Also Sprach Zarathustra, Don Juan, Till Eulespiegel), and the other half from the Eighties (Four Last Songs, Alpine Sym.). The significance has to do with recorded sound. The later digital recordings have sounded nasty and shrill but are now much better thanks to the current remastering. The earlier analog ones sound increidbly good, particularly the Zarathustra. Critics tend to prfer Karajan's version of the Four Last Songs with Gundula Janowitz, but that recording isn't in as good sound as this one, and Tomova-Simtov lets us hear the poetry more clearly. I am happy to own both and even happier that the early digital-era problems have been solved.

Karajan's Greatest Strauss hits?`.......2004-10-22

This recoupling of Strauss masterpieces is probaby Herbert von Karajan's greatest existing CD set of Richard Strauss, for whose music he was an unquestioned master. This set is headlined by Karjan's remarkable 1974 performance of "Also Sprach Zarathustra" and his top of the line digital recording of "Eine Alpensinfonie" from 1981. It includes a number of popular Strauss tone poems and Karajan's elegant collaboration with Anna Tomowa-Sintow of the Four Last Songs.

The remastering on this set is somewhat uneven. "Also Sprach Zarathustra" sounds about the same here as it did on the DG Strauss Panorama two-CD set where it last appeared. The Alpine Symphony is the 21-track version from the Karajan Gold CD and is a major improvement over the earlier single track and 11 track versions DG distributed. The performance in this set sounded wonderful on my home stereo.

I paid an Amazon.com vendor about $9 for this set new, making it an outstanding bargain box of most of Karajan's best Strauss recordings. His EMI "Ein Heldenleben" is not included, of course. Still, this set is a major improvement of the DG Strauss Panorama that included Karajan's 1959 recording of "Ein Heldenleben".

With the addition of Karajan's recordings of "Don Juan", "Til Eulenspiegel" and Salome's "Dance of the Seven Veils", this now becomes the preferred collection of Strauss orchestral music by this conductor.

Average customer rating:

Outstanding recording of the Four Last Songs and a great price.
Some real depth
A capricious conductor triumphs in Zarathustra
You'd be crazy not to get this
Lucia Popp!!!

Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

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Brahms: Violin Concerto; Mozart: Sinfonia
Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night's Dream
Franck: Symphony in Dm; Chasseur maudit
Strauss: Four Last Songs / Karajan, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra

ASIN: B00000JQYC
Release Date: 1999-08-10

Tracks:

Also sprach Zarathustra, Op.30: Opening
Also sprach Zarathustra, Op.30: Of The Backworldsmen
Also sprach Zarathustra, Op.30: Of The Great Longing
Also sprach Zarathustra, Op.30: Of Joys And Passions
Also sprach Zarathustra, Op.30: Grave-Song
Also sprach Zarathustra, Op.30: Of Science
Also sprach Zarathustra, Op.30: The Convalescent
Also sprach Zarathustra, Op.30: The Dance-Song
Also sprach Zarathustra, Op.30: The Night-Wanderer's Song
Don Juan, OP.20
Four Last Songs: Fruhling
Four Last Songs: September
Four Last Songs: Beim Schlafengehen
Four Last Songs: Im Abendroth

Customer Reviews:

Outstanding recording of the Four Last Songs and a great price........2007-04-01

Before going into the Four Last Songs, I'll comment briefly on the Zarathustra. I cannot agree with the praise heaped upon it here. Tennstedt is a great Strauss conductor, true. What I cannot get beyond is the terrible recording quality of the Zarathustra. Early digital recordings often had serious sonic problems. Most common was a tremendous loss of low level musical information. Played on a decent system, the music will never seem loud enough--you won't quite be able to "hear" it, even when you crank the volume. This is not an illusion: you really are "missing" information that somehow you expect to hear. This becomes obvious when you listen to recordings with great low level information, such as the justly famous Reiner first recording with the CSO ("Living Stereo" indeed!). While, if I concentrate, I can hear delightful things from the conductor, there are too many fine recordings of the piece to justify owning this one too, in my opinion.

The five stars are based on two considerations: the remarkable performance of the same forces with Popp in the Four Last Songs, and the dirt cheap price of this CD. The price means that purchasing the CD for 20 minutes of music is not unreasonable. Then there is the performance. Some reviewers have tellingly compared it to Karajan and Janowitz's performance. I see the point, but I think that the strengths of that set are far surpassed in this one. Karajan and Tennstedt have a somewhat similar approach, with a sumptuous orchestral presence enveloping the singer. But Deutsche Grammophon at that time was not the DG of old, and regardless of recent attempts to clarify textures and remove fog with "Super-Bit-Mapping," Karajan's recording is inferior to Tennstedt's digital one (which seems much better for this piece than for the Zarathustra). Janowitz had a reputation for a creamy voice, but here it often sounds harsh and strained (true, this music will tend to do that), though this might be an artifact of the recording. Popp's voice is much less strained, except when she must sing very high and very loudly. Her presentation here is intimate more than heroic. Sometimes she is nearly submerged by the orchestra, only to emerge in a very touching way, with the orchestral colors blending wonderfully with her own. She does much less word pointing than Schwarzkopf. She communicates more with vocal coloration and dynamics.

Possibly this review is affected by my knowledge of her tragic early death and her personal kindness, that could make even the Queen of the Night (with Klemperer) more a nuanced tragic figure than a cardboard cutout evil one. But I don't think I'm imagining what I hear in the present performance, which is an outstanding complement to the famous Szell/Schwartzkopf performance.

Some real depth .......2006-08-10

Also Sprach became famous because of its use in the movie "2001".
Since that famous movie came out, it has been recorded more times than the music really deserves. It is a masterpiece but I would rank it behind most of the other Strauss tone poems. It is just a tad on the shallow side. But this recording by the great conductor Klaus Tennstedt, gives the music much more depth than it usually gets. He really takes the music seriously and I really enjoyed this performance. Don Juan also gets an outstanding performance. And what more can you say about Lucia Popp? She was simply a magnificent singer and a real artist. Her performance of the Four Last Songs is just breathtaking. If you reprogram this CD to play Don Juan first and Also Sprach last, you have a real concert program, soloist and all. At the budget price, this CD is a steal. A must for every classical music lover.

A capricious conductor triumphs in Zarathustra.......2006-04-27

Klaus Tennstedt was a mercurial musician who could surprise you with one-of-a-kind performances where every bar seemed to spring spontaneously from his imagination--he had that in common with Mitropoulos before him. This Zarathustra is one of his most delightful, puckish interpretations, all the more wonderful because the work is such a bloated relic in the concert hall. Vulgarized by the movie 2001 and pumped up to titanic size by Karajan, Zarathustra needed someone to restore its Nietzschean character. That was Strauss's point, after all. Tennstedt's completley unpredictable reading does full justrice to the most unpredictable of philosophers.

The recording is full and brilliant without being bombastic (the famous opening moments are sonically dull, though), and the London Phil. plays with a rare abandon, totally in accord with their conductor. The fillers are generous, a Don Juan released at the same time as the Zarathustra in 1990, and a Four Last Songs made some years earlier. As you'd expect, the Don Juan is leaner and more etched than Karajan's several versions. Tennstedt doesn't try to make the work an orchestral showpiece, and despite its over-familiarity, he finds freshness from bar to bar. Like the Zarathustra, the performance has a great deal of inner life and stands high among all current versions.

Other reviewers here rhapsodize over Lucia Popp's Four Last Songs, which were overshadowed at their release by the opulent version from Jessye Norman. Popp's voice had darkened enough to sound credible in this music (she was basically a light coloratura), but there is a fast beat in her voice, and she fails to articulate the poetry at all, being more intent, like Janowitz, in making beautiful sounds even when the listener cannot pick up a single word of text. If you don't mind the loss (I certainly do) Popp's reading is ravishing, and Tennstedt offers superb accompaniment. I will listen to this performance again for his contribution more than hers.

You'd be crazy not to get this.......2005-03-07

Tennstedt had a fairly brief heyday, in which he was celebrated mostly for his Mahler recordings. He was a very fine Straussian too, and rather quietly accumulated several fine Strauss performances when he had the LPO at their best. This Zarathustra stands among the best, with Tennstedt emphasizing the lyric beauty and long line of Strauss, all to the work's benefit.

Don Juan has received many good recordings and this is one of them. I stayed engaged through this whole performance, though, as a passionate Strauss lover, I am ashamed to admit I sometimes wander during Don Juan because I've heard it so many times.

Ahh, but the clencher: I had the privilege of hearing Lucia Popp sing the 4 Last Songs in Los Angeles, Giulini conducting, shortly after she made this recording. I agree with Andre - this is the recording I'd take to the desert island. She and Tennstedt are as one, and her total involvement in the meaning of the music, her infinite range of nuance, and the plaintive beauty of her voice combine in a 4 Last Songs for the ages. As cliched as it is, if ever there was art that conceals art, Popp had it. Every time I hear this performance I feel that she and Tennstedt are sharing their deepest experiences and their love of Strauss with me.

By the way, I have the original CD issue too, and the remastering on this disc has solved some of the problems with the early digital sound.

All this for $6.99.

Lucia Popp!!!.......2000-12-30

She is my only reason to buy this disk, although the other recordings (the Also Sprach Zarathustra and Don Juan) are quite nicely done. Lucia did two recordings that I know of of the Four Last Songs. One with Tennstedt, and one with Michael Tilson Thomas. This one is with Tennstedt and is by far the best version she did, not to mention ever done on recordings. Period. Here she was fresh voiced, so artistic, so insightful, and so masterful with how to take advantage of Richard Strauss' beautiful score. No other singer comes close... not Schwarzkopf, not Janowitz, and yes, not even Fleming. Tennstedt conducts everything beautifully and pays close attention to every detail. I guarantee it is the most magical Four Last Songs you have ever heard!!! I'd recommend the original release, the one with "Death and Configuration," but unfortunately it is hard to find that CD. I have it though!

All in all, this is singing on its highest level, as though from heaven... Not enough superlatives can be used. Many critics, colleagues, and teachers with whom I have spoken and given this CD to listen to, say they haven't heard better. I trust their opinion and at this bargain-basement price, you can easily take a gamble and trust my advice. Buy it! You won't be disappointed.

Richard Strauss: 5 Great Tone Poems
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

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Beethoven: Symphonien Nos. 5 & 7 / Kleiber, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra

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; Don Juan

Average customer rating:

Karajan's Best Zara?
A Magnificient Zarathustra for the Ages!
Ignore the pan--this is great Strauss
Good Interpretation, Technical Limitations

Richard Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra; Don Juan

Manufacturer: Polygram Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000001GK1
Release Date: 1993-10-12

Tracks:

Also Sprach Zarathustra, Op.30: Intro
Also Sprach Zarathustra, Op.30: Of The Backworldsmen
Also Sprach Zarathustra, Op.30: Of The Great Longing
Also Sprach Zarathustra, Op.30: Of Joys And Passions
Also Sprach Zarathustra, Op.30: The Song Of The Grave
Also Sprach Zarathustra, Op.30: Of Science And Learning
Also Sprach Zarathustra, Op.30: The Convalescent
Also Sprach Zarathustra, Op.30: The Dance-Song
Also Sprach Zarathustra, Op.30: Song Of The Night Wanderer
Don Juan, Op.20

Customer Reviews:

Karajan's Best Zara?.......2007-03-25

Karajan was almost obsessed with R.Strauss Symphonic Poems trying ever to achieve higher level of perfection both artistically and technically (including recording technology). He recorded Don Quixote 4 times, Til Eulenspiegel 6 times, Tod und Verklarung 3 times, Metamorphosen 3 times and so on, excluding many unofficail live recordings.

Also sprach Zarathustra was recorded three times officially; Decca, DG 1973 and this digital version which is grandest and best recorded of all. As to which one is best, opinions are divided depending on personal tastes for interpretation and sound quality. I have an impression that Karajan was more interested in representing the richness and intricacy of Strauss' orchestration with the last digital version, while other two readings are more or less straightforward. Only weakness of the digital version is the opening which is not as spectacular as the other two.

A Magnificient Zarathustra for the Ages! .......2005-12-24

This last recording of Zarathustra by Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic is truly stunning. As pure sound it's heavenly, the recording is rich and the interpretation has a depth and otherworldliness that other versions lack. Some might prefer the leaner, faster Reiner version from 1954 but it's kind of cold and efficient and doesn't embrace the human as much as Karajan does in this performance. Karajan certainly embraces the human and the superhuman in this luscious, grandiose tapestry of sound. If you want to buy several versions, this Karajan version is number 1, number 2 would be the Karajan 1974 version and third place would be either Reiner 1954 or 1962, Karajan 1959, Solti in the 1990's with Berlin, Haitink in the 1970's, or whatever other interpretation you prefer. Just make sure you have this Karajan Gold disc in your possession if you care about Also Sprach Zarathustra.

The Don Juan is also terrific here and together makes this a must purchase for the fan of Strauss, Karajan or classical music in general. I agree with other people that Karajan's recordings in the 1980's were not always the finest when compared to his previous versions of the same music, however in this case an exception must be made, this performance is one of his best from the 1980's. Make sure you are purchasing this recording in it's remastered form, the label is Karajan Gold, catalog number 439 016-2.

Ignore the pan--this is great Strauss.......2005-09-05

Comparing them side by side, I also prefer the earlier analog versions of these pieces under Karajan, but he didn't exactly slack off in the digital era. This is superlative, blockbuster Strauss of the kind Karajan did without rivals.

Good Interpretation, Technical Limitations.......1999-05-20

HvK is one the most renowned conductors of Richard Strauss, and also this CD is certainly no exception. HvK is very demanding, he lives the story like it was his own: The music of the BPO is grandiose, where the score of the poetic drama demands it, and it is sensitive and full of feelings, where most likely Strauss himself would have wanted it. This CD however, has to stand up against the highest of standards actually set by no other than the Maestro himself, back 1973 on DG as well. And here, we have the clash of titan against himself, in two different ages, and of course, with two entirely different recording techniques. With this CD, recorded in the early days of the digital age, the dynamic is much more impressive, there are no contortions whatsoever, but typically for digital recordings of the early '80s, the cords are sterile and the sound is lacking much of often desired characteristic warmth, especially with a to-the-point-precise, strictly objective perfectionist conductor like HvK. The old analog recording offers far more loveliness, like an old blue jeans, that you loved a lot and therefore wore so long. However, even a not so perfect digital DG-Karajan recording is still a good one, and like any new pants, it may become comfortable with age, and so it shall be left to each music friend for himself, which of one the ages, which one of the CDs, or shall we say, blue jeans, to prefer. (RURW).

Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra; Don Juan; Till Eulenspiegels Lustige Streiche [Germany]

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Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra; Don Juan; Till Eulenspiegels Lustige Streiche [Germany]
Mackerras , and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Manufacturer: RPO
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000051NU4
Release Date: 2006-05-03

Strauss: Also sprach Zarathustra, etc / Herbert von Karajan, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra

Average customer rating:

Karajan Rules
2001 Music
as expected, it's excellent

Strauss: Also sprach Zarathustra, etc / Herbert von Karajan, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00004C8TF
Release Date: 2000-04-11

Tracks:

Thus Spake Zarathustra: Introduction (Sunrise)
Thus Spake Zarathustra: Of The Backworldsmen
Thus Spake Zarathustra: Of The Great Longing
Thus Spake Zarathustra: Of Joys And Passions
Thus Spake Zarathustra: Funeral Song
Thus Spake Zarathustra: Of Science
Thus Spake Zarathustra: The Convalescent
Thus Spake Zarathustra: Dance Song
Thus Spake Zarathustra: Night-wanderer's Song
Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks
Dance of the Seven Veils
Don Juan

Customer Reviews:

Karajan Rules.......2004-03-29

This is simply a document of just how high a standard an orchestra can achieve. Recorded before the disastrous fall out between the Vienna State Opera and Karajan. This is simply the finest recordings of this set of tone poems from Richard Strauss..bar none! For Horn players this is a special treat and nowhere on earth will you hear such incredible horn work.

Somehow with other orchestras these pieces can come off either as vulgar or sloppy. Karjan and Vienna worked in these John Culshaw/DECCA productions towards a goal of utmost perfection..AND ACHIEVE IT!

If you compare with Szell, these recording easily bypass Cleveland's foray into these repetoire by sounding human and even in places WARM...something the CBC Szell recordings possessed little of.

Save the waste and get Karajan...these are splendid transfers with excellent playing in all departments.

2001 Music.......2000-08-22

If you've ever wondered what recording was actually used in 2001 A Space Odysee, look no further. Herbert von Karajan made a recording of this piece when this piece wasn't popular. It was a risk, but now tends to be one of the defining pieces of music by Richard Strauss. Although there is considerable hiss on this recording in the softer passages, the music is beautiful and never overshadowed by the hiss. The remastering by the folks at Decca have made sure that all the pianissimos are still wonderful. Karajan was a master of the quieter moments in a score, and teamed with the Vienna Philharmonic doing Strauss, you have a great combination. For example, listen to all of track 2 and you'll know what I mean. Of course, that isn't to say that the louder more powerful parts aren't noteworthy. Karajan was a master of those too. Perhaps that's why he was the 20th Century's greatest conductor (that's an opinion, not a fact). It's all captured well in this recording. Decca has long had a tradition of fine recordings. This remastering is superb.

as expected, it's excellent.......2000-04-17

It is quite remarkable that Also Sprach Zarathustra was originally recorded in March, 1959, the digital remastering makes it sound like a brand new recording. The percussion here and in Till Eulenspiegel is very crisp. The performances are pretty well self-recommending. On Track 7 there is a glissando by the Vienna Philharmonic strings that makes you shake your head in disbelief. This recording is also enhanced by the excellent documentation, including the Herculean efforts by the engineers some 40 years ago to dub the organ parts, which were played at a nearby church (there was no organ at the Sofiensaal). The organ had to be re-tuned to the VPO's pitch. Quite fascinating reading indeed.

I won't go so far as to say this is the one to have for this music, as Karajan's 1974 recording with the BPO of all 4 of these items is pretty great in its own right. I think Michel Schwalbe's solo violin contribution in the latter recording might tip the scales in its favour, but that's admittedly splitting hairs. Fritz Reiner's famous recording in Chicago, and Haitink, and Kempe in Dresden - just to name a few - can rub shoulders with either of the Karajans. Nonetheless, this record is very welcome indeed and can be strongly recommended, especially at medium price.

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