Opera excerpts from Pfitzner (Palestrina; Das Herz; Das Kathchen von Heilbronn) & R. Strauss (Guntram; Capriccio; Feuersnot)

Richard Strauss (Composer), Hans Pfitzner (Composer), Christian Thielemann (Conductor), Berlin State Opera Orchestra (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Orchestra: Berlin State Opera Orchestra
• Conductor: Christian Thielemann
• Composer: Richard Strauss, Hans Pfitzner
• Audio CD (May 13, 1997)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Deutsche Grammophon
• ASIN: B000001GWX
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #237,637 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Palestrina: Palestrina: Vorspiel zum I. Akt

2. Palestrina: Palestrina: Vorspiel zum II. Akt

3. Palestrina: Palestrina: Vorspiel zum III. Akt

4. Das Herz, op. 39: Das Herz, op. 39: Liebesmelodie

5. Das Käthchen von Heilbronn op. 17: Das Käthchen von Heilbronn op. 17: Ouverture (op. 17a)

6. Guntram, op. 25: Guntram, op. 25: Vorspiel zum I. Akt

7. Capriccio, op. 85: Capriccio, op. 85: Vorspiel (Streichsextett)

8. Feuersnot, op. 50: Feuersnot, op. 50: Liebesszene

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Treasury of Late Romanticism, August 9, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Opera excerpts from Pfitzner (Palestrina; Das Herz; Das Kathchen von Heilbronn) & R. Strauss (Guntram; Capriccio; Feuersnot) (Audio CD)

All of the works on this CD beautifully evoke a lost world of idealism, heroism, chivalry, and courtly love. This disc has been a constant companion for nearly five years now. I have given at least five copies as gifts. I bought it because I am a Richard Strauss fanatic, and recordings of the orchestral passages of his first two operas, GUNTRAM and FEUERSNOT, are very rare. Thielemann's performances of the Strauss selections are superb. But I seldom listen to them, because this CD was my introduction to the works of Hans Pfitzner and I find myself simply listening to the Pfitzner selections over and over again. The CD begins with the Preludes to the three acts of his operatic masterpiece PALESTRINA. They are obviously indebted to Wagner's PARSIFAL. These works ache with desire, not for the sensuous, but for the noble, the etherial, the transcendent. The Prelude to the second act is particularly riveting and sublime. The other two pieces--the love theme from the opera DAS HERZ and the overture to DAS KAETCHEN VON HEILBRONN--evoke more sensuous but no less noble longings. The performances and recording are magnificent in every way. Every romantic will fall in love with this CD.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Magnificent Performances of Pfitzner's and Strauss' music, September 6, 2001

By 

John Kwok (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Opera excerpts from Pfitzner (Palestrina; Das Herz; Das Kathchen von Heilbronn) & R. Strauss (Guntram; Capriccio; Feuersnot) (Audio CD)

Along with his recent recording of Wagner's music with the Philadelphia Orchestra, this recording of Pfitzner's and Strauss' scores may be Thielemann's finest to date. Most noteworthy is the ebullient warm performance of Pfitzner's Palestrina from the Deutsche Oper orchestra, but I also enjoyed hearing two of Richard Strauss' lesser known works. I wholeheartedly recommend this CD as a splendid introduction to Pfitzner's music.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A welcomed disc..........., September 6, 2009

By 

Paul (Atlanta) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Opera excerpts from Pfitzner (Palestrina; Das Herz; Das Kathchen von Heilbronn) & R. Strauss (Guntram; Capriccio; Feuersnot) (Audio CD)

Superb engineering (wide detailed deep soundstage on high-end equipment) and a dynamite performance by the Berlin Opera Orchestra. Highly recommended A+++