Previn: Richard Strauss – Also Sprach Zarathustra, Tod und Verklärung (FLAC)

Performer: Gerhart Hetzel
Orchestra: Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
Conductor: André Previn
Composer: Richard Strauss
Audio CD
SPARS Code: DDD
Number of Discs: 1
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Telarc
Size: 236 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: no

# Also sprach Zarathustra (Thus Spoke Zoroaster), tone poem for orchestra, Op. 30 (TrV 176)
Composed by Richard Strauss
Performed by Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
Conducted by Andre Previn

# Tod und Verklärung (Death and Transfiguration), tone poem for orchestra, Op. 24 (TrV 158)
Composed by Richard Strauss
Performed by Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
Conducted by Andre Previn

First Rate!

I was surprised with Previn’s late Brahms performances with the Royal Philharmonic and just as surprised with his recordings of Richard Strauss pieces. Not only was he great on the Brahms and the RPO sound like a German orchestra (Brahms pc 1&2 and Brahm’s 4th symphony, et al), but he recorded quite a few Strauss things with the Vienna Philharmonic. This is good stuff. First rate. Well played. Well led. Really, to me they are astonishingly good.

I like the late Previn very much. He really matured as a conductor of the German-Austrian repertory. Quite honestly, I do not know of performances I prefer to these of Previn. The RPO on the Brahms is very good indeed. And who does not know of the excellent Vienna Philharmonic for the Strauss performances? Go and get these performances without fearing they might be shallow. They are anything but. They are first rate. Get’em! I learned to appreciate Previn far more widely after hearing them.