Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra / Mahler: Totenfeier - Chicago Symphony Orchestra / Pierre Boulez

Gustav Mahler (Composer), Richard Strauss (Composer), Pierre Boulez (Conductor), Chicago Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Orchestra: Chicago Symphony Orchestra
• Conductor: Pierre Boulez
• Composer: Gustav Mahler, Richard Strauss
• Audio CD (September 14, 1999)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Deutsche Grammophon
• ASIN: B00001IVO8
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #392,655 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Shocking Strauss, Magnificent Mahler, March 21, 2000

By 

Thomas B Dawkins - See all my reviews

This review is from: Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra / Mahler: Totenfeier - Chicago Symphony Orchestra / Pierre Boulez (Audio CD)

The Strauss is magnificent, powerful and one of the most excited versions I have ever heard. However, being a Mahler freak, it is on the last movement that I shall concentrate.

Mahler and Boulez make an excellent combination, but add in the Chicago Symphony and you have a trio that cannot be beat. Although the track listing here specifies the Totenfeier as the first movement to the second symphony, this is only partially true. The version heard here is the prototype for what eventually becomes the beginning of the second symphony. The Totenfeier of 1888 (recorded here) is rarely performed, and has a somewhat smaller orchestration than the later version. The development section is partially different, and lacks the climax of the forceful false-recapitulation of the beginning string gesture. This is all commentary on the composition, not the recording, which is superbly clean and well-thought-out. All of the high brass chords tune flawlessly and without cracking. It is particularly interesting that the Strauss Also Sprach Zarathustra is presented along with this piece, as its opening uses a motive borrowed (?) from the end of the Totenfeier; the loud C Major to minor chord with the "sighing" trumpet changing the E to an E-flat. The motion that begins the Strauss (C, G, C', E, E-flat) also contains an inversion of one of the primary motives of the Totenfeier, (C', G, C) which is presented throughout as a dotted figure. All too often, experienced listeners let their ears go on auto-pilot when it comes to familiar works, and this Mahler will (thankfully!) throw you for a curve.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding!, April 25, 2002

By 

D. Seymour "snadmus" (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra / Mahler: Totenfeier - Chicago Symphony Orchestra / Pierre Boulez (Audio CD)

Another great recording by Pierre Boulez and the Chicago Symphony! Compared with my other favorite recording of Also Sprach Zarathustra (Previn in Vienna on Telarc) which is astronomical in proportion, Boulez's rendition, by contrast, is earthy and gritty. The Chicago Symphony captures the sounds of the Dawn of Man as if from the sludge. The opening sunburst is not overdone - with the result that there is less of a disconnect between the impressive explosion at the beginning and the lyricism of what follows. Boulez's controlled approach with the opening allows the climaxes throughout the remainder of the piece to become all the more important and satisfactory. The sound is immediate and the Chicago Symphony sounds like a million. The addition of Mahler's Totenfeier (opening to the 2nd Symphony "Resurrection") makes an excellent companion. A great disc whether you're a fan of Strauss, Mahler or both. An outstanding showcase!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Strauss Fans Can Add a Star, August 8, 2009

By 

Karl W. Nehring (Ostrander, OH USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra / Mahler: Totenfeier - Chicago Symphony Orchestra / Pierre Boulez (Audio CD)

I will freely confess that I am probably not the right person to be reviewing Strauss's ever-popular tone poem; I am decidedly not a Strauss fan, and although I have tried from time to time over the years to get into Also Sprach Zarathustra, I have listened to many recordings without ever being convinced that there was much of real musical interest taking place. However, I am a big Mahler fan--and a big Boulez fan--so I simply had to acquire and audition this disk.

So, after all this introduction, what do I think of this disk? Not a whole lot, actually. The playing of the orchestra is wonderful, and although there are some interesting passages in the Strauss piece, the music still does not resonate in my imagination. The Mahler is a piece that he later reorchestrated and made into the opening movement of his 2nd Symphony. Alas, Totenfeier is never quite as satisfying as its later incarnation, and Boulez does nothing to change my mind. Totenfeier is an entertaining piece of music, but for the listener familiar with Mahler's mighty 2nd Symphony, it is that work that the listener wants to hear, not just the foreshadowing of it.

The recorded sound is quite good in both works, and as I mentioned above, the orchestral playing is quite good. In the Strauss, Boulez's objective style clarifies the music and makes it enjoyable; however, the Mahler could use more drama than Boulez seems willing to impart to it. or If you are a Zarathustra fanatic, this disk reveals some similarities with the Mahler (which was written first), and is probably well worth adding to your collection.