Search - Richard [1] Strauss, JoAnn Falletta, Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra :: Richard Strauss: Josephs-Legende; Rosenkavalier; Die Frau ohne Schatten (Orchestral Suites)

Disappointment from Buffalo

CD Maniac | Nashville, TN | 01/30/2010

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I highly anticipated hearing this CD, as I've been impressed with other CDs from Buffalo and JoAnn Falletta in the past.

However, there is a mixed bag here, and it turns out that all too often, Buffalo just isn't up to the challenge that Strauss has posed them.

I suspect the main problem is one of familiarity (or lack thereof). The suite from Der Rosenkavalier comes off the best, as this suite is a part of the "standard" repertoire, and these musicians have probably seen this work several times before.

But the fantasy from Die Frau ohne Schatten is another matter. It seems fairly obvious that this is new material to the orchestra, and they are uncomfortable with it. There is some decidedly scrappy string playing, and a lack of a cohesive sound/style from the orchestra. Most of the notes are there, but it doesn't add up to a satisfying musical experience. It may be a suite from an opera, but the orchestra never manages to make it "sing". A comparison with other recordings of this same work really highlights the orchestras weaknesses.

All in all, the CD turns out to be a disappointment."

Impressive, lyrical Strauss from Falletta -- her best record

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 01/30/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It would make a nice turnabout if JoAnn Falletta, this country's "other" prominent woman conductor besides Marin Alsop, proved to be the bigger talent. So far, in the two recordings I've heard from her and the Buffalo Phil. that hasn't been evident. She has truck me as a competent, reliable, but not very forceful or imaginative musician -- the same words I'd apply, on the whole, to Alsop. Here she gets to prove her case with a big-bore Strauss collection that features a chestnut (the Rosenkavalier Suite), a lesser-known but still spectacular suite from Die Frau ohne Schatten, and a tough nut to crack, the suite from Strauss's turgid biblical ballet, Josephslegende. The challenges are different form piece to piece, but all difficult.



The first thing to note is that the Buffalo musicians hold their own, with flexible, sweet-sounding strings to the fore and a nice balance of wind and brass; one notices the lack of outstanding soloists, but this is ensemble music most of the time. Falletta gets the true Strauss sound. Her Rosenkavalier starts off in low key -- she's no Solti by a long shot -- but the phrasing and rhythm are quite arresting. She's working the same vein of civilized, restrained Strauss interpretation as Rudolf Kempe. I found myself drawn in the whole time, and moved by some very tender playing, reminding me that Rosenkavalier is above all a story about innocent love. (Since I was listening online, I can't give any details about which suite this one is; there are quite a few.)



The "symphonic fantasy" derived from Frau ohne Schatten includes some lovely lyrical passages, but there's also a good deal of crunch music to rival Elektra. Falletta, to my relief, soft peals the more brutal crunches and emphasizes the lyricism. There's real finesse here, and Strauss's magical orchestral touches are conveyed with a lovely transparency. but the toughest nut is Josephslegende, which can be accused of bloated rhetoric and time-wasting gaudiness for its own sake. The secret is to play the music more modestly than Strauss intended it, and Falletta does just that. The score remains a ballet for brontosauruses, but I'd rather hear this account than any other I know.



So in the end, we got our turnabout. This wholly successful album is better than anything I've heard from Alsop. Not that it's a rivalry, but I hope JoAnn Falletta gets her kudos on an equal plane with her more famous counterpart."