Search - Richard [1] Strauss, George Szell, Cleveland Orchestra :: R. Strauss: Till Eulenspiel; Don Juan; Death & Transfiguration [SACD]

Another Szell classic

01/28/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"George Szell has been very well served in Sony Classical's reissues on SACD of classics from its back catalogue. This is another gem, comprising three of the great tone poems of Richard Strauss, as conducted by one of the greatest exponents of his orchestral music on record.As with the others in this series, Sony's untampered DSD transfer lets us hear all of the musical information on the original master tapes, without any artificial noise reduction or processing. The high frequency notes and wide dynamic range which are so much better on SACD than conventional CD serve this music well. There is so much more to be heard than on the recent CD transfers and infinitely more than on the original LP. You can hear every bit of the orchestral texture in these complex scores, and the recordings are so realistic that you can even hear Szell vocalizing and audibly urging on his forces! Very highly recommended."

Szell "Owns" This Music

Paul S. Rottenberg | Ft. Lauderdale, FL | 03/27/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This recording has always been a classic in the interpretation of these three Strauss tone poems, and it is even better now that it's available on SACD. The playback quality on this disc delevers sound which just about takes you to the absolute limits of the original recorded sound. It's still ADD, rather than DDD sound, but these performances are really the best of the best ever recorded. Szell's "Till Eulenspigel" is the funniest I've ever heard, and even though Szell may have not been noted for a sense of humor, I think the reason the humor comes through so well is based on the way Szell plays every note in just the way Strauss asks. The same is true of both "Don Juan" (the most swash-buckling version) and "Death and Transfiguration." This last piece is probably the most difficult to bring off since it's apt to sound overwrought, but Szell knows exactly how to mold each bar and each phrase for maximum meaning. A great, and essential, recording."