Composer: Richard Strauss
Orchestra: Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Conductor: Franz Welser-Möst
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: BR Klassik
Catalogue: 900124
Release: 2014
Size: 325 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
Eine Alpensinfonie, Op. 64
01. Nacht I
02. Sonnenaufgang
03. Der Anstieg
04. Eintritt in den Wald
05. Wanderung neben dem Bache
06. Am Wasserfall
07. Erscheinung
08. Auf blumigen Wiesen
09. Auf der Alm
10. Durch Dickicht und Gestrupp auf Irrwegen
11. Auf dem Gletscher
12. Gefahrvolle Augenblicke
13. Auf dem Gipfel
14. Vision
15. Nebel steigen auf
16. Die Sonne verdüstert sich allmählich
17. Elégie
18. Stille vor dem Sturm
19. Gewitter und Sturm, Abstieg
20. Sonnenuntergang
21. Ausklang
22. Nacht II
Intermezzo, Op. 72, TrV 246a, 4 Symphonic Interludes
23. I. Reisefieber und Walzerszene
24. II. Träumerei am Kamin
25. III. Am Spieltisch
26. IV. Fröhlicher Beschluss
Live-Recording Munich, Herkulessaal 29/30.04.2010 (Alpensymphonie); 02.12.2013 (Intermezzo)
The year 2014 marks the 150th birthday of the Munich-born composer Richard Strauss, and this CD highlights two key genres in his oeuvre: the “Alpine Symphony”, composed in 1915, his last and greatest tone poem, and the four symphonic interludes from the opera “Intermezzo”, first performed in Dresden in 1924. The Austrian conductor Franz Welser-Möst, currently Musical Director of the Vienna State Opera and Principal Conductor of the Cleveland Orchestra, is also a popular guest conductor of the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks. The music of Strauss lies on the threshold of the modern age, and Welser-Möst interprets it with a musical dramatic style enhanced by the classical-romantic tradition. This CD from the BR-KLASSIK label celebrates not only the 150th anniversary of Strauss’s birth but also the 25th anniversary of Franz Welser-Moest’s regular appearances as a guest conductor with the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks. It contains a combination of live recordings made in Munich’s Herkulessaal in 2010 and 2013.
Richard Strauss’ 1915 tone poem, Eine Alpensinfonie, is a dramatic musical depiction of hiking in the Alps, an activity that inspired the composer throughout his life and gave him a subject equal to his magnificent orchestration and themes. Yet this is also a philosophical work, inspired by the writings of Friedrich Nietzsche, and it bears some striking similarities in its brooding meditations and spectacular climaxes to Strauss’ 1896 masterpiece, Also sprach Zarathustra. The Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Franz Welser-Möst, plays with expanded forces in this live recording, and the sound of the orchestra is impressively opulent, with full textures, rich colors, and remarkable spaciousness. This vibrant performance is somewhat constrained by the limitations of the standard stereo CD, and BR Klassik would have had an unqualified success on its hands if the recording had been presented in multichannel sound on SACD. Still, this is an excellent performance that really communicates the essence of Strauss’ late Romantic music, and with proper adjustment of the volume levels, almost everything can be heard clearly.