Strauss: Don Quixote / Horn Concerto 1 / Don Juan

Richard Strauss (Composer), George Szell (Conductor), Cleveland Orchestra (Orchestra), Pierre Fournier (Performer), Myron Bloom (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Pierre Fournier, Myron Bloom
• Orchestra: Cleveland Orchestra
• Conductor: George Szell
• Composer: Richard Strauss
• Audio CD (October 14, 1997)
• SPARS Code: ADD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B0000029XS
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #171,313 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Don Quixote, Op.35: Intro. Massiges Zeitmass

2. Don Quixote, Op.35: Theme. Massig

3. Don Quixote, Op.35: Var I. Gemachlich

4. Don Quixote, Op.35: Var II. Kriegerisch

5. Don Quixote, Op.35: Var III. Massiges Zeitmass

6. Don Quixote, Op.35: Var IV. Kriegerisch

7. Don Quixote, Op.35: Var V. Etwas Breiter

8. Don Quixote, Op.35: Var VI. Schnell

9. Don Quixote, Op.35: Var VII. Ein Wenig Ruhiger Als Vorher

10. Don Quixote, Op.35: Var VIII. Gemachlich

11. Don Quixote, Op.35: Var IX. Schnell Und Sturmisch

12. Don Quixote, Op.35: Var X. Viel Breiter

13. Don Quixote, Op.35: Finale. Sehr Ruhig

14. Con No.1 in E-flat, Op.11: I. Allegro - Myron Bloom

15. Con No.1 in E-flat, Op.11: II. Andante - Myron Bloom

16. Con No.1 in E-flat, Op.11: III. Allegro - Myron Bloom

17. Don Juan, Op.20 - Cleveland Orch/George Szell

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb Strauss, June 23, 2002

By 

R. J. Claster "rjclaster" (Van Nuys, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Strauss: Don Quixote / Horn Concerto 1 / Don Juan (Audio CD)

Szell is not one of your Strauss conductors who seeks to wallow in the overt sensuousness of his orchestral textures, as Karajan tends to do, or mellow the music out (as if they were composed after Der Rosenkavalier, not before). After all, the major Strauss tone poems were products of his young manhood, and Szell's approach is rather to emphasize the dramatic vitality of these scores and also, to make the often complex lines stand out clearly. More specifically, I find his Don Juan to be the most exciting performance I have yet heard, even more so than Reiner's 1954 recording, for it has more cumulative power, and moreover, is in much better sound (sonically, the '54 Reiner is a lot muddier sounding than his contemporaneous recordings of Ein Heldenleben and Also sprach Zarathustra, both of which have excellent sound). As for Quixote, this performance is swifter, tauter and more sharply etched than either Reiner-Chicago or Karajan's performance on EMI with Rostropovich. It is a pity that Kempe's classic Berlin account with Tortelier is no longer available because that performance combines drama and vividness of textures with a warmth and humanity that somewhat eludes Szell. Finally, the very youthful horn concerto is played immaculately. Highly recommended!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Szell's Great Richard Strauss recordings, December 3, 2001

By 

John Kwok (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Strauss: Don Quixote / Horn Concerto 1 / Don Juan (Audio CD)

This CD unites Szell's finest recordings of Richard Strauss' music with the Cleveland Orchestra; the oldest dates from the early 1960's. These are exceptional performances; Szell's interpretations of Don Quixote and Don Juan are quite simply the finest I have heard. All three recordings are replete with the clear, brisk playing of the Clevelanders, especially with regards to the string and wind sections. Pierre Fournier, one of the 20th Century's greatest cellists, plays with much passion and warmth in his solo passages during "Don Quixote". The Horn Concerto with Myron Bloom as soloist is another splendid performance. Once more, the sound quality is exceptional due to the latest state of the art digital image bit remastering. Fans of George Szell, The Cleveland Orchestra, and Richard Strauss' music will definitely want this CD.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another outstanding CD by the Cleveland Orchestra and George Szell, November 24, 2011

By 

Robert Wolovitz (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Strauss: Don Quixote / Horn Concerto 1 / Don Juan (Audio CD)

Richard Strauss thought very highly of George Szell, having created together with him the very first recording of Don Juan (Szell conducting the first part of the piece and Strauss conducting the second part, for that historic recording). So it is no wonder that George Szell so profoundly understood the idiom and the intricacies of this work. This is easily one of the finest ever recordings of this piece. Outstanding on this CD is also Don Quixote with the legendary Pierre Fournier as soloist. Szell's artistic collaboration with Fournier was extremely close. Don Quixote was performed seven times during Szell's tenure with the Cleveland Orchestra, and Fournier was chosen as the soloist for six of these seven performances! The rapport between Szell and Fournier is almost palpable in this recording. Fournier's natural grace, balanced tone and great musicality are, as always with this great artist, exemplary.
Not to be missed is also Myron Bloom's performance of the Strauss Horn Concerto #1, with his customary mastery and panache. The liner notes in the booklet contain Myron Bloom's interesting memories of George Szell and some nice archival photos. Highly recommended!