Search - Strauss, Marzendorfer :: Josef Strauss: Edition, Vol. 17

A desirable addition to a welcome series.

John Austin | Kangaroo Ground, Australia | 07/28/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Josef Strauss Edition - Volume 17Anyone who is browsing through the Marco Polo survey of the dance music of Josef Strauss will be well advised to put this CD in his shopping trolley. It contains several of the composer's greatest works. Especially attractive is the performance of the concert waltz "Perlen der Liebe", but everything in this 64 minute program is delightful. The policy in this edition seems to be to provide "complete" performances. Every repeat and every da capo sign is observed, thus extending the waltz "Dorfschwalben aus Österriech" to a duration of 12' 38". Special effects including bird warbles, forge hammers, and an occasional vocal contribution from the orchestra are less obtrusive than in versions by conductors of the past, however the harp is sometimes given undue prominence, such as in the beautiful introduction to "Spharenklange". I reckon this to be one of the most desirable of this welcome series."