Search - Richard [1] Strauss, Herbert Blomstedt, Takashi Baba :: Richard Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra; Don Juan

A great Zarathustra from Dresden, in excellent sound

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 01/31/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Decca has released a rip-roaring Zarathustra by Blomstedt and the San Francisco Sym. that he so successfully rebuilt. that gripping account will satisfy anyone who wants a musical performance and not just a kick-back demo record. The added attraction here is the Dresden orchestra, which had a special relationship with Strauss and more than any other ensemble has kept alive their old traditions. Kempe's Strauss cycle for EMI has endured in the catalog for four decades. Thanks to the incredible continuity of the Staatskapelle, this updated version sounds very similar in its elegance and finesse, and Denon's sound is much finer than EMI's, which came out a bit dull and murky for Kempe's Zarathustra.



Be prepared for a more restrained reading than the wow-factor ones by Solti and Karajan. For over sixty years it's been agreed that Fritz Reiner and the Chicago Sym. on RCA struck the perfect balance between sonic thrills and musical values. but if your shelf is long enough, I would add this CD and the account by Tennstedt and the London Phil. to the list of charismatic Zarathustras -- plus the Decca one from San Francisco if you are a true fan. What the Dresdeners offer in particular is an astonishing unity of tone; it's as if one musician plays every part. That uncanny feeling of unison can be set against Reiner's recording, which shows off numerous great soloists. These distinctions matter to me, but they don't have to apply. On any ground Bomstedt leads a wonderful reading."