Kempe: Strauss – Orchestral Works (9 CD FLAC/APE)

Performer: Wolfgang Liebscher, Paul Tortelier, Peter Damm, Manfred Clement, Malcolm Frager, et al.
Orchestra: Dresden Staatskapelle
Conductor: Rudolph Kempe
Composer: Richard Strauss
Audio CD
SPARS Code: DDD
Number of Discs: 9 CD box set
Format: FLAC/APE (image+cue)
Label: Brilliant Classics
Size: 2.8 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes

CD1
Horn concerto №1 in E Flat Major
1. Allegro
2. Andante
3. Allegro
Peter Damm, Horn
Horn concerto №2 in E Flat Major
4. Allegro
5. Andante con moto
6. Rondo (Allegro moto)
Peter Damm, Horn
Oboe concerto in D Major
7. Allegro moderato
8. Andante
9. Vivace
Manfred Clement, Oboe
Duett-Concertino for clarinet, bassoon and strings
10. Allegro moderato
11. Andante
12. Rondo (Allegro ma non troppo)
Manfred Weise, Clarinet
Wolfgang Leibscher, bassoon

CD2
1. Burleske for piano and orchestra in D minor
Malcolm Frager, piano
2. Parergon zur Sinfonia Domestica for piano (left hand) and orchestra
Peter Rösel, piano
3. Panathenäenzug
Symphonic studies in the form of a passacaglia for piano (left hand) and orchestra
Peter Rösel, piano

CD3
1. Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche
Till Eulenspiegel’s merry panks
Symphonic poem
2. Don Juan
Symphonic poem
Ein Heldenleben
A hero’s life, Symphonic poem
3. The hero
4. The hero’s adversaries
5. The hero’s wife
6. Certainty of Victory
7. The hero’s battlefield
8. War fanfares
9. The hero’s works of peace
10. The hero’s withdrawal from the world
11. Renunciation
Peter Mirring, solo violin

CD4
Violin concerto in D minor
1. Allegro
2. Lento
3. Rondo
Ulf Hoelscher, violin
Sinfonia Domestica
4. Bewegt – Thema I – Thema II – Thema III
5. Scherzo (Munter)
6. Wiegenlied Mäßig langsam
7. Adagio – (Langsam)
8. Finale (Sehr lebhaft)

CD5
1. Also sprach Zarathustra
Thus spakeZarathustra
Symphonic poem
2 .Tod und Verklarung
Death and Transfiguration
Symphonic poem
3. Der Rosenkavalier
Waltzes

CD6
Salome
1. Dance of the Seven Veils
Le Bourgeois gentilhomme
2. Overture
3. Joudain-Minuet
4. The fencing master
5. Entrance and dance of the tailors
6. Minuet of Lully
7. Courante
8. Entry of Cleonte
9. Intermezzo
10. The dinner
11. Schlagobers
12. Josephslegende
Symphonic fragment

CD7
1. Metamorphosen
Study For 23 Solo Strings
Eine Alpensinfonie
An Alpine Symphony
2. Night
3. Sunrise
4. The Ascent
5. Entering The Forrest
6. Strolling By The Stream
7. By The Waterfall
8. Apparition
9. In Flowery Meadows
10. In A Mountain Pasture
11. Lost In The Thickets and Undergrow
12. On The Glacier
13. Dangerous Moments
14. On The Summit
15. Vision
16. Mists Rise Up
17. The Sun Grows Dark
18. Elegy
19. Quiet Before The Storm
20. A Thunderstorm
21. Sunset
22. Conclusion
23. Night

CD8
Aus Italien
1. Andante
(In the Campagna)
2. Allegro molto con brio
(The ruins of Rome)
3. Andantino
(On the beach at Sorrento)
4. Finale (Allegro molto)
(Neapolitan folk life)
5. Macbeth
Symphonic poem

CD9
Don Quixote
Fantastic variations on the theme of knightlycharacter
1. Don Quixote sinks into madness
2. Don Quixote
3. Sancho Panza
4. Variation I
The adventure with the mindwills
5. Variation II
The battle with the sheep
6. Variation III
Discource between knight and squire
7. Variation IV
The adventure with pilgrims
8. Variation V
The knight’s vigil
9. Variation VI
The meeting with Dulcinea
10. Variation VII
Th ride through the air
11. Variation VIII
The voyage in the enchanted boat
12. Variation IX
The combat with the two magisians
13. Variation X
The defeat of Don Quixote
14. Finale (Sehr ruhig)
Paul Tortelier, Cello
Max Rostal, Viola
Dance Suite from harpsichord pieces by Francois Couperin
15. Entree and stately round
16. Courante
17. Carillon
18. Sarabande
19. Gavotte
20. Tourbillon
21. Allemande
22. Marsch

A fantastic set

This is simply fantastic 9CD set. It is exactly the same as the EMI Edition, but for some reason a full list of works doesn’t appear on this page so I have listed them below. Strauss wrote some of the finest music of the 20th century in my view, and this is a wonderful collection of his entire orchestral output from his very well-known tone poems through the excellent but often under-rated concertos to works which were quite new to me. All of it is exceptionally well played: Kempe conducts brilliantly and brings really fine performances from the Dresden Staatskapelle and soloists including Paul Tortelier and Peter Damm.

The recording quality is excellent and the digital transfer has obviously been done very well – I have nothing but praise for the warmth and clarity of the sound. The box and individual cardboard sleeves are sturdy (if a little dull). There is a booklet of rather sparse notes in English only. They give adequate basic information about the works themselves and at this price and in slimline format I wouldn’t dream of carping.

This is a terrific box and a monumental bargain and I recommend it very warmly.