COMPOSERS: Strauss
LABELS: Philips
WORKS: Also sprach Zarathustra; Tod und Verklärung; Don Juan
PERFORMER: Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Amsterdam/Bernard Haitink
CATALOGUE NO: 438 300-2 ADD (1974/83)
The famous Concertgebouw acoustic seems ideal for Strauss, and all three works benefit from its warmth and clarity, especially since the orchestral playing is so sensitive. Haitink’s phrasing doesn’t quite achieve the intense ardour of some performances, though the rich sonorities and the balance could hardly be better. Another bonus is the violin solo of Herman Krebbers. Also sprach Zarathustra is for once accorded cue points which correspond to Strauss’s programme, a real bonus in this complex music.Terry Barfoot
Strauss: Also sprach Zarathustra; Tod und Verklärung; Don Juan
The famous Concertgebouw acoustic seems ideal for Strauss, and all three works benefit from its warmth and clarity, especially since the orchestral playing is so sensitive. Haitink’s phrasing doesn’t quite achieve the intense ardour of some performances, though the rich sonorities and the balance could hardly be better. Another bonus is the violin solo of Herman Krebbers. Also sprach Zarathustra is for once accorded cue points which correspond to Strauss’s programme, a real bonus in this complex music.Terry Barfoot
Our rating
4
Published: January 20, 2012 at 2:36 pm