19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Richard Strauss' Greatest Works, December 1, 2005
This review is from: Richard Strauss: Complete Tone Poems (6 CD Set), including Fantasie from "Die Frau Ohne Schatten" and Concert Suite from "Der Rosenkavalier" (Audio CD)
For a good deal of his eighty-five years of life, the German composer Richard Strauss was the master of a form that originated with Franz Liszt in the early 19th century--the symphonic tone poem. From his first tone poem "Aus Italien" in 1886, to the final one "Metamorphosen" in 1945, Strauss perfected the form, and did so frequently with large-scale orchestral forces that would have envied even Mahler. And in this 6-CD set from London/Decca, Strauss' skill with the form is on display, thanks to five great conductors and four great orchestras:
CD 1: DON QUIXOTE (Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra/ZUBIN MEHTA; with Kurt Reher [celo] and Jan Hlinka [viola]); DON JUAN (Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra/LORIN MAAZEL); MACBETH (Detroit Symphony Orchestra/ANTAL DORATI)
CD-2: AUS ITALIEN (Cleveland Orchestra/VLADIMIR ASHKENAZY); ALSO SPRACH ZARATHUSTRA (Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra/ZUBIN MEHTA)
CD-3: SINFONIA DOMESTICA (Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra/ZUBIN MEHTA); DEATH AND TRANSFIGURATION (Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra/CHRISTOPH VON DOHNANYI); DANCE OF THE SEVEN VEILS FROM "SALOME" (Cleveland Orchestra/VLADIMIR ASHKENAZY)
CD-4: AN ALPINE SYMPHONY (Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra/ZUBIN MEHTA); METAMORPHOSEN (Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra/CHRISTOPH VON DOHNANYI)
CD-5: EIN HELDENLEBEN (Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra/ZUBIN MEHTA; with David Frisina [violin]); CONCERT SUITE FROM "DER ROSENKAVALIER" (Detroit Symphony Orchestra/ANTAL DORATI)
CD-6: LE BOUREGEOIS GENTILHOMME (Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra/LORIN MAAZEL; with FRIEDRICH GULDA [piano], WILLI BOSKOVSKY [violin], and EMANUEL BRABEC [cello]); FANTASIE FROM "DIE FRAU OHNE SCHATTEN" (Detroit Symphony Orchestra/ANTAL DORATI); TILL EULENSPIEGEL'S MERRY PRANKS (Cleveland Orchestra/CHRISTOPH VON DOHNANYI)
These recordings were made over a span of close to thirty years, from 1964 to 1991, and give us not only the most well known pieces like "Don Juan" and "Also Sprach Zarathustra", but also lesser-known works such as "Macbeth" and "Aus Italien," again all performed by great orchestras and conductors. Of no small significance is the performance of "Macbeth" by the Detroit Symphony under Antal Dorati, which accentuates the terrifying power of this relatively obscure piece, as well as the skills of both conductor and orchestra. And there is also Mehta and the Los Angeles Philharmonic's memorable performance of "Zarathustra", recorded in the same year (1968) that piece became cinematically immortalized by director Stanley Kubrick in his classic science fiction film 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY.
Perhaps the only thing people might complain about is the absence of the San Francisco Symphony and Herbert Blomstedt on this compilation, and they'd have a strong case; for not only did this orchestra/conductor tandem record for London/Decca, they also did a significant amount of Strauss. Apart from that minor misstep, however, this is a superlative compilation of a great and sometimes troubled German composer's contributions to classical music, well worth picking up.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Outstanding Strauss set, August 17, 2009
This review is from: Richard Strauss: Complete Tone Poems (6 CD Set), including Fantasie from "Die Frau Ohne Schatten" and Concert Suite from "Der Rosenkavalier" (Audio CD)
Strauss fans who have been subsisting on classic recordings by Karajan, Kempe and Reiner will find this collection a refreshing alternative. The Mehta recordings are some of the best he ever made, but there is also an excellent Aus Italien from Ashkenazy, a red-blooded Death and Transfiguration from Dohnanyi, and a suite put together by Dorati from Der Rosenkavalier that puts Kempe to shame. Altogether, this is a wonderful set and a great bargain.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Zubin Mehta and the L.A. Philharmonic bring the glamor to this Strauss set. 3.5 stars, June 8, 2011
This review is from: Richard Strauss: Complete Tone Poems (6 CD Set), including Fantasie from "Die Frau Ohne Schatten" and Concert Suite from "Der Rosenkavalier" (Audio CD)
The majority of the repertoire in this box is performed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, conducted by the then young and brash Zubin Mehta. The L.A. Phil was not a world class orchestra at this time in the mid to late seventies, ( one wonders if they can even be classified as world class today? ), but they had superstar Zubin Mehta leading them and the glorious Decca sound to hide their deficiencies. I will take each CD, one by one and make comments about each work.
CD 1 - Don Quixote opens up the first disc. My favorite version is by the dream team of Rostropovich/Karajan/BPO on EMI. Mehta and L.A. are not in such elite company but this is a dedicated and vigorous account nonetheless. The lush string tone that is a requirement for much of Strauss is something L.A. could not pull off. I still say good enough, or rather close but no cigar. Up next is Don Juan. We move to Maazel with the Vienna Philharmonic. It is an energetic account but without the dreamy atmosphere of Karajan or the furious bravado of Solti. We reach the final piece of disc one and that is Macbeth. I have great fondness for the Rudolf Kempe version in warm analogue sound on EMI. But here Antal Dorati does a fine job. He isn't helped by the early digital sound which has some coldness about it. ( All of Mehta's performances in this box are in warm, lush analogue sound by the way. Not to worry. )
CD 2 - Ashkenazy leads the Cleveland Orchestra in Aus Italien in a flowing performance. I opt for Rudolf Kempe here as well as the best Aus Italien around. Ashkenazy can make for a good alternative. Mehta's somewhat famous Also Sprach Zarathustra is up next. Unlike the polished Karajan accounts or the cold, somewhat clinical Reiner account that gets all the raves, Mehta can be a bit awkward in this music. He is brash and sometimes very vulgar. Take for instance, the climax of the section "Of the backworldsmen". Mehta works the brass into the texture in the most vulgar fashion. My favorite Zarathustra is Karajan from 1974 but the sound on that CD is hampered by some boxed acoustics. Mehta's acoustic is fantastic and this Zarathustra even received a prestigious SACD release which costs a small fortune. One of the highlights of the set.
CD 3 - The warmly majestic Sinfonia Domestica opens up this disc. I love this piece almost more than any other tone poem by Strauss. The best version ever recorded in my opinion is Karajan on EMI. Truly magnificent. Furtwangler comes in second. Mehta can't compete with them in intensity and the phenomenal strings of the Berlin Philharmonic under Karajan run circles around the L.A. orchestra. Mehta also seems to lose himself in the hectic sections directing traffic. An example is the fugue that opens the fourth and final movement. Anyhow, this is a good enough performance but no match for Karajan.
Death and Transfiguration is conducted by Dohnanyi who leads the VPO. Not a stellar version by any means and with the likes of Karajan, James Levine and the unknown Tolga Kashif out there, Dohnanyi would have to be a lot more inspired to compete. Salome's famous dance closes the disc under the hand of Ashkenazy who is proficient. Solti is the master of this opera and the dance under him is extraordinary. That's the one to go for. Also try Reiner.
CD 4 - Mehta's grandiose performance of the gigantic Alpine Symphony opens this CD. Notwithstanding some vulgarities and roughness of playing, this is a very good Alpine Symphony. Some say that Mehta surpassed himself later in digital form with the Berlin Philharmonic. While that version has the greater orchestra, the young lion Mehta we have here in L.A. is also terrific. Great sound too. The greatest Alpine Symphony ever is Karajan's on Karajan Gold. Rudolf Kempe also has an excellent, humanistic account on EMI.
Then onto Metamorphosen. One of the most powerful works in the Strauss canon. Dohnanyi does not make a great advocate for it. Just focus on the VPO strings and don't mind the conducting. The best Metamorphosens in stereo are definitely Karajan. His last digital one is the most intense. My favorite Metamorphosen of all is Furtwangler from 1947, very fast and highly emotional. True greatness.
CD 5 - Mehta is in his element again for Ein Heldenleben. The competition for this tone poem is stacked high and Mehta even has to compete with his own digital version in Berlin. It's a fun ride in L.A. nonetheless. But with the likes of Karajan, Reiner, Solti, Barbirolli, Rattle, Ormandy, Thielemann and a host of others available, I wouldn't classify Mehta's L.A. Heldenleben as particularly distinctive. It's still fun, just the lack of L.A.'s virtuosity starts to wear on you.
Dorati's arrangement of the Der Rosenkavalier suite ends disc five. The Detroit Symphony is not exactly the orchestra for Strauss. It's a fresh performance but without the ardour this music demands. The early digital sound here again has some nastiness in the higher registers.
CD 6 - The final CD has Maazel's somewhat mechanical Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme suite. Go for Fritz Reiner if you like this piece. The symphonic fantasy from the opera Die Frau Ohne Schatten has Dorati in Detroit again. It's got plenty of energy but the more recent Thielemann/VPO on DG is more lush, symphonic and is captured in far better sound. Lastly, Till Eulenspiegel closes this set from Dohnanyi in Cleveland. I'm not a fan of Dohnanyi as he rarely seems inspired, so this to me is a rather average performance.
As I said before, Zubin Mehta is the flat out star in this box set. The rest seems more or less filler, with particularly Maazel and Dohnanyi lacking in leadership. Mehta's Zarathustra, Alpine Symphony and Heldenleben find him in best form with his Sinfonia Domestica and Don Quixote close behind. The fillers by Dorati and Ashkenazy are pretty good but superseded by recent recordings. The Decca sound throughout Mehta's recordings is fantastic. This set would be a good purchase for Zubin Mehta fans since it catalogues some fine work from his best years.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
