People often say that music can transport
you to another time and place. More
than a bit of that has been going on
here, being entertained as I have by
Dr Richard Strauss’s piano playing for
the past couple of nights. The question
of whether he travelled forward to my
time or I back to his is still something
up for debate. The much brandished booklet
claim that "This is not an historical
recording" is of course only partially
true – but it’s no doubt there to make
you realise that this isn’t 40 minutes
worth of hiss and distortion accompanied
by the occasionally audible note.
Tacet is not the only
CD label to have reissued recordings
made for the company of M. Welte and
Sons in Frieburg between the years of
1904 and 1932. Naxos has issued a couple
of discs on their Historical label,
but up to now the most interesting has
been an Intercord release: INT 860.855,
recorded in 1985. This featured composers
playing their own works: Grieg, Mahler
(who has to be heard to be believed!),
Skriabin, Saint-Saëns, Reger, Ravel,
Debussy – and Strauss, there playing
the Dance of the Seven Veils
and the Mood Picture no. 3. The
Intercord disc has long ceased to be
available, but it is interesting to
note that the same team is responsible
for this Tacet release – to a great
extent reproducing the same liner notes,
with one or two additions to bring things
up to date. Also worth noting is a release
on the Dal Segno label (DSPRCD 010)
issued this month (November 2005) that
features a few of the recordings that
occur here (Salome items and
Mood Picture no. 1).
Tacet’s claim that
this release improves somewhat upon
the results achieved by earlier competitors,
notably Intercord, can be borne out
when hearing the two in comparison.
Tacet’s does indeed seem steadier in
terms of holding the tempo throughout
the piece, but in the end there is little
in it.
To today’s ears the
selection of recorded pieces could seem
strange, but the choices most likely
came out of what was popular at the
time. The Salome extracts are curious,
the Dance of the Seven Veils too also
because of a slight leaden quality that
creeps into the left hand playing that
cannot be truly indicative of Strauss’s
true skills. The Heldenleben
extract is moderately more successful
in playing terms as is the one drawn
from Feuersnot, although I don’t
care for the music itself that much
in the latter case. The two songs are
surprising in the perfunctory performances
they receive. Too indulgent a singer
would get a rude awakening with Strauss
as accompanist – although here his playing
inevitably weaves between both parts.
Most successful by far are the Mood
Pictures, played here with real
feeling – so that one might imagine
being On The Silent Forest Path
(no.1), or beside The Lonely
Waters (no. 2). The piano used
throughout I found perfectly acceptable,
as is the recording.
As a complete presentation
of Strauss’s available Welte-Mignon
recordings this is an important document
that should sit alongside his recordings
as a conductor. Good too that a lesser
known quartet of works outshines bleeding
chunks drawn from larger musical canvases.
Most enthusiastically recommended.
Evan Dickerson
see also
review by Jonathan Woolf
Richard Strauss (piano) 
for
details
