Richard STRAUSS (1864-1949)
Also Sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30 [33:56]
Don Juan, Op. 20 [17:13]
Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche, Op. 28 [14:52]
Metamorphosen for 23 solo strings [28:58]
Tod und Verklärung, Op. 24 [24:20]
Staatskapelle Dresden/Herbert Blomstedt
rec. June and August, 1987 (CD1) and February 1989 (CD2), Lukaskirche, Dresden,
Germany
DAL SEGNO DSPRCD050 [51:09 + 68:10]
These performances are classics. The Staatskapelle Dresden and conductor Herbert
Blomstedt were one of the greatest artistic forces of the 1980s. This set of
Richard Strauss tone poems was recorded at the peak of their collaboration.
If they are not in your collection already, Dal Segno’s reduced price
and ready availability leaves you no excuse.
These recordings were originally released by the Japanese label Denon, as part
of a series from Dresden which also included Ein Heldenleben and two
of the Bruckner symphonies. The Bruckner Seventh which resulted from this collaboration,
recorded in 1980, is legendary among collectors: one could say that it is one
of the greatest performances of anything ever to be caught on tape.
Naturally, then, my expectations were high for this set, which has been licensed
from Denon by way of Union Square Music.
Begin with the second disc: this program, of Till Eulenspiegels lustige
Streiche, Metamorphosen and Tod und Verklärung, features
three of the great Strauss tone poems taken at rather more relaxed tempi than
some listeners might be used to. Metamorphosen clocks in at 29 minutes,
well over a minute faster than Herbert von Karajan’s classic Deutsche
Grammophon reading with the Berlin Philharmonic. Although there are a few minutes
early on where the music’s repetition becomes a bit too obvious, the
last half of this tragic arc of melody is masterfully sculpted.
The broadly-paced Tod und Verklärung does not quite measure up
to Rudolf Kempe’s achievement with the Staatskapelle Dresden a decade
earlier, with its peerless combination of elegiac sorrow and dramatic tension.
I particularly missed Kempe’s gripping control over the introduction
and final coda; nevertheless, this Blomstedt reading remains one of the greats,
with harrowing climaxes aided by great timpani and brass playing.
The other performances are even finer. Till Eulenspiegel is just about
perfect, playful and mischievous, and Don Juan is given a fantastic
performance too, with each successive entry of the opening motif more and more
frantic than the last; great trumpets, too. The crowning achievement of this
set, however, is of Also Sprach Zarathustra, which is frankly jaw-dropping,
even in direct comparison to my reference versions: the 1974 Karajan/Berlin
reading on DG Originals and Kempe’s 1971 performance with the Staatskapelle
Dresden. I am honestly at a loss for words to describe this performance. Only
a slight lack of assertiveness from the brass in the “Tanzlied” (track
8, at 7:00) made me miss Kempe for a second. Highlights include a general genius
for transitions (especially from the climax of “Tanzlied” through
to the hushed mood of the conclusion), glorious stereophonic brass in the Introduction,
a clearly audible organ in “Von den Hinterweltern” and the wistful
violin solos in the Night Wanderer’s song (track 9, at 1:41; I love the
soloist’s hesitation at 1:51). The entire “Von der Wissenschaft” section
is powerfully built, with a glacial pace and equally glacial sense of inevitability,
from its quiet beginning up until the brass whip-crack which sets the orchestra
delightfully alive. The entire second half strikes me as utterly perfect, and
the orchestra really does sound, in this acoustic, like the best in the world.
When it comes to Strauss tone poems, they are. No listener with a pulse could
remain unaffected by music-making of this calibre.
In this Zarathustra the adjective ‘spectacular’ could easily
be applied to the score, the orchestra, the life with which the players invest
the music, and the Denon recording itself in equal measure. Here we have glorious
playing preserved in a recording which at the time was state-of-the-art, and
which, to all intents and purposes, remains so. It is hard to imagine any of
the major labels today being able to replicate this set’s combination
of acoustic clarity, impact and atmosphere. At the price Dal Segno is charging,
and despite a typo or two on the back of the jewel case, this is a mandatory
purchase.
One caveat: my review copy came with two-second gaps between each section of
Zarathustra, often with ruinous consequences. Dal Segno assured me that this
was a manufacturing defect, and that they had set it right as soon as they
had learned about it. A replacement copy was sent free of charge. It is good
to know that the art of fine customer service is still alive and well.
Brian Reinhart