Composer: Richard Strauss
Performer: Igor Gruppman, Dorothea Röschmann
Orchestra: Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra
Conductor: Yannick Nézet-Séguin
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: BIS
Catalogue: BISSACD1880
Release: 2011
Size: 574 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
Ein Heldenleben, Op. 40
01. Der Held (The Hero)
02. Des Helden Widersacher (The Hero’s Enemies)
03. Des Helden Gefahrtin (The Hero’s Companion)
04. Des Helden Walstatt (The Hero’s Field of Battle)
05. Des Helden Friedenswerke (The Hero’s Works of Peace)
06. Des Helden Weltflucht und Vollendung (The Hero’s Withdrawal from the World)
Vier letzte Lieder
07. No. 1. Fruhling (Spring)
08. No. 2. September
09. No. 3. Beim Schlafengehen (At Bedtime)
10. No. 4. Im Abendrot (In the Evening Glow)
In a very short time, Yannick Nézet-Séguin has become one of the most sought-after young conductors in the world, popular with orchestras and audiences alike. Recently named as Music Director Designate of the Philadelphia Orchestra, he succeeded Valery Gergiev as Music Director of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra in 2008. He is also Chief Guest Conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
On this the second of four projected discs for BIS, the Rotterdam Philharmonic here perform two of Richard Strauss’ most popular works: The tone poem Ein Heldenleben (A Hero’s Life) has often been described as an autobiographical work. The six interwoven sections describe themes of hope, love and courage, with a scherzo that mocks the hero’s enemies and a final climax that sees the hero withdraw from the world fulfilled.
The Four Last Songs were the last works that Strauss composed before his death in 1949, and throughout the works, the pervading mood is one of death and transience. The Rotterdam Orchestra are here joined by Dorothea Röschmann, who has built a reputation on the opera stage as one of the most admired present interpreters of Mozart and of lieder.
Approximately 50 years separated the composition of Richard Strauss’ Ein Heldenleben and the Vier Letzte Lieder, a period in which world events dramatically changed his career and his perception of himself. The hero of the semi-autobiographical tone poem is in part a reflection of the optimism and boldness of late 19th century Europe, an age of expanding empire and Nietzschean egotism, when the youthful Strauss was at the peak of his powers; whereas the introspection and resignation of the four songs show the composer in the aftermath of World War II, subdued, nostalgic, and approaching the end of his life. The pairing of these works reveals some thoughtfulness in the programming, and the performances by Yannick Nézet-Séguin and the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra are fully attuned to the different sides of Strauss. The reading of Ein Heldenleben is lush, expansive, and full of the passion and assurance that make the work believable, while soprano Dorothea Röschmann delivers the lieder with sympathy and serenity and projects beautifully over the orchestra’s radiant accompaniment. This SACD captures the music’s richness and warmth in spacious multichannel sound and a wide dynamic range, and the clarity of the parts is superb in the DSD recording. Highly recommended for Strauss fans and as an introduction to his larger-than-life, late-Romantic style.