Reading Alma Mahler’s memoirs left me more than a little skeptical about Richard Strauss. (She claimed he rated his compositions by the amount of money they accrued!) In the course of my journey through the Warner Classics box set of performances by conductor Bruno Walter, my latest encounter has been another single-CD account, this time of four Strauss compositions.
The CD begins with two of the early tone poems presented in reverse chronological order: the Opus 24 “Tod und Verklärung” (death and transfiguration) and the Opus 20 “Don Juan.” These were both recorded by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London in 1924 and 1926 respectively. These tracks definitely “show their age;” but an attentive listener will still be able to appreciate the expressiveness that Walter brought to the performances for these recordings.
The remainder of the CD accounts for the composer’s transition to operas. That said, the first two of the tracks are strictly instrumental: the “Dance of the Seven Veils” from the one-act “Salome” (Opus 54) and the waltzes from the Opus 59 full-length opera Der Rosenkavalier. These were recorded in 1930 by the Berlin Philharmonic. It then concludes with “Da lieg’ ich” (getting even), sung by the Baron Ochs (bass Richard Mayr) and the end of the finale of the second act, performed by an ensemble identified only as “Symphony Orchestra!”
Richard Strauss on the cover of the box set of his music (from the Discogs Web page)
It goes without saying that I have been familiar with all of these compositions for many decades. Indeed, they are all accounted for in the three-CD box set entitled Strauss Dirigiert/Conducts Strauss, which is available from a multitude of sources collected on a single Discogs Web site. Nevertheless, my “current project” involves accounting for Walter’s accomplishments prior to his move to the United States. It would be fair to say that, where my listening experiences are concerned, there was much to be gained from listening to this single CD, regardless of any opinions based on Strauss’ biography!
