Georg Solti - Richard Strauss: Ein Heldenleben, Also sprach Zarathustra, Don Juan, Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche, Eine Alpensinfonie (1994) CD-Rip

This economical double-pack provides an excellent sampler of Strauss's orchestral music for the beginner, as well as affording a distinctive take on the composer for veteran collectors who enjoy comparing diverse interpretations by famous conductors. Predictably, Solti's take on Strauss is extrovert, dynamic, and disciplined. For some (admirers of Karajan and Ormandy, for instance) this approach won't be sufficiently opulent; for others (admirers of Kempe, for instance), it won't be sufficiently nuanced or lyrical. Suffice it to say that if you enjoy Szell's crisp clarity in Strauss and Reiner's electric brilliance, you will probably like Solti, whose distinctive style combines both of these attributes.

Three different orchestras are represented here, and they make for fascinating comparisons. Solti and the CSO had a strong, symbiotic relationship; they brought out the very best in each other, and it shows here: Zarathustra, Till Eulenspiegel and Don Juan receive stunning performances that will sweep you away. Jaw-dropping virtuosity from all departments of this great orchestra, captured in viscerally exciting sound by the Decca engineers. In these respects, it would be hard to surpass Solti (even if I would place Szell just slightly ahead of Solti for his greater wit and wisdom in the two shorter works).

With the Bavarians in *Alpensinfonie*, Solti seems just a bit mellower, though that impression might be due to the more blended sonorities of a central-European band playing in a very different, and roomier acoustic (fabulous organ sonorities in the storm sequence and elsewhere "on the way down"). Some critics, including one of the reviewers on this website, have faulted Solti's interpretation of this work for its headlong tempos. They do take some getting used to if your paradigm is Karajan or Kempe; but if you have sometimes found this work rather long-winded, a quick sprint to the summit and back may prove more enjoyable than a moderate trudge. Solti lingers enough to evoke atmosphere, even if he's more interested in conveying the evanescent dramatic tensions that course through this work. The more I hear it, the more I like Solti's approach, though I realize that it might not be for everyone. If you've never heard the work before, rest assured that there is never a dull moment in Solti's version.

I am marginally less taken with Solti's Heldenleben with the VPO. The orchestral playing is glorious, as we would expect (such burnished brass, characterful winds, and rich strings!); moreover, as with the other tone poems in this collection, Solti articulates the narrative structure with compelling cogency. Perhaps the reason for my relative discontent is that I don't resonate as fully with this overwrought exercise in self-adulation as much as with the other works included here. In ay case, I found tedium setting in midway through the section depicting the Hero's domestic bliss, confirming to some extent the old canard that Solti is at his best only in high-voltage, climactic passages, but tends to lose his way in more expansive music. Be that as is may, this is still a very fine performance--one that would surely garner an enthusiastic response in the concert-hall--even though I would rank it a notch or two below the very best (Beecham being the unsurpassed criterion).

This fine double album is certainly worth anyone's money. Superb performances, magnificent orchestral playing, and brilliant sonics add up to a eminently recommendable Strauss collection. if this is your first encounter with the composer, and you find Strauss congenial, I recommend going on to purchase the complete orchestral music, conducted by Kempe, in a consistently rewarding bargain-box from EMI. Szell's inimitable *Till*, *Don Juan* and *Death and Transfiguration* can be found on various inexpensive Sony/CBS reissues. Beecham's Heldenleben will surely never become obsolete as long as there are listeners who see winsome charm as an essential aspect of the heroic; and for those who require more time to enjoy the scenery on the way to the Alpine Summit, I can confidently recommend Karajan and Mehta (among others) in Alpensinfonie.