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Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra / Don Juan / Macbeth

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He may not have exactly invented what we know as the symphonic tone poem (that distinction most likely goes to Franz Liszt), but Richard Strauss certainly helped perfect it in the last two decades of the 19th century and the first two decades of the 20th. Having been tremendously influenced by the innovative and boundary-pushing techniques of Richard Wagner, not to mention that composer's penchant for immense orchestration, Strauss not only helped to solidify his reputation as a composer, but he also helped influenced a lot of Hollywood film scoring for a good deal of the 20th century. Such traits can be found in the three tone poems featured on this early 1980s recording by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and their Conductor Laureate, the late Antal Dorati.

Inspired by the writings of the great German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche on the Persian prophet Zoroaster, "Also Sprach Zarathustra" is an example of Strauss' grand orchestral vision. But while this 1896 work received many recordings in the mono and stereo eras, it wasn't until 1968 that it caught on in the concert halls; and the thanks for this can be laid at director Stanley Kubrick, who very cagily used this work's opening "Dawn" sequence as the calling card for his science fiction masterpiece 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY. That three-note motif contained in that sequence is sprinkled throughout the entire 33-minute running time of "Zarathustra", which on a whole is far more interesting a work than many give it credit for being, with a decidedly enigmatic, hushed close.

"Don Juan', in the meantime, has its basis in an unfinished verse play by German writer Nikolaus Lenau, and was the composer's first significant success (it premiered to a wildly enthusiastic performance in Weimar in 1888). It has a very chivalrous nature to it, as can be gauged by how incredibly challenging it is for orchestral players, especially the horn section. Like many of Strauss' tone poems, this one veers between moments of quietude and vigorous outbursts, going from E Minor to E Major as its primary keys, and ending quietly with three pizzicato riffs in the strings.

"Macbeth", based on the Shakespeare play, was actually the very first tone poem in Strauss' oeuvre, and is not nearly as well known as its companions. It has a brooding vigor to it; and its D Minor key gives it a gravitas not unlike those of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony and Brahms' Tragic Overture, which are in the same key. While it may be the work of a young composer (Strauss was in his mid-twenties when he composed "Macbeth" between 1886 and 1888), it nevertheless shows Strauss' way with setting individualistic subject matter to music, and Shakespeare's story is a perfect fit for him.

All three pieces are given sterling renderings by the Detroit Symphony under Dorati's conducting, particularly "Macbeth" (the only real recording competition in terms of recordings of this piece, in my opinion, is Rudolf Kempe's 1973 EMI recording with the Dresden State Orchestra, Strauss' favorite), but also "Don Juan" and "Zarathustra." With all the recordings of Strauss' tone poems out there, this one unfairly fell between the cracks. Still, this is a great addition to any Strauss fan's collection, as well as a great example of an often-underrated American orchestra tackling some of the most demanding works in the entire classical repertoire.