Search - Richard Strauss, Zubin Mehta, Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra :: Also Sprach Zarathustra

4.5 stars -- an audiophile renewel of a 1960s classic

Larry VanDeSande | Mason, Michigan United States | 06/16/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Lim's new reinvention of Zubin Mehta's 1968 recording of Strauss's "Also Sprach Zarathustra" (first recorded for Decca/London) goes a long way to answer one question that's been asked over and over again in the download and ipod era: wither the CD, what is the future of the silver disk? I read a fellow in a national magazine a year or so ago that said the CD would remain the standard for classical music for at least another quarter century. Then its sales fell again that year.



This CD, I think, helps answer that question. And the answer is this: it will reinvent older music in today's technology, give you a real smart looking package deliverable, and charge you a really high price. And, guess what? Some people will buy it. I did.



Anyone that's listened to Zubin Mehta's recordings from the duration of his long career, going at least back to 1961 as conductor of the Montreal Symphony, would probably agree that he made his best recordings in the 1960s and early 1970s with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Vienna Philharmonic orchestras. That group includes this recording, which is here reinvented in the highest quality super audio sound -- something labeled K2 HD.



The sound is really spectacular, there's no doubt about that. I played it tonight on my home super audio machine and it sounds at least as good as the best super audio CDs I've heard. I plan to play it in the car tomorrow and on my standard CD player afterward to see if the definition is close to what I heard tongight. The one thing that disappointed me is that this is a two-track recording, which is what the master must have been. You'd think in 2009 they'd have the wizardry to add another track, wouldn't you, especially for something this pricey?



The packaging I talked about is both a big hit and something of a miss. The CD comes in what appears to be an old 78 sleeve inside a hard box with a big cutout on the cover showing off a glowy cover page that says "The Charm of Original Master Tape" above a combination outer space-tie die drawing which, I assume, must be the original album cover. It's very colorful and a little weird. Inside there are 12 very thick, glossy pages of notes from the producer, a history of the conductor, four pages about Richard Strauss incluidng his major compositions, production data on the 1968 and 2008 recordings, the original album notes from the LP, and a page dedicated to the work, its movements and timing. I am very pleased to say the back cover repeats the work, its movements and timing.



The one drawback in presentation is the little sleeve that covers the CD inside the bigger sleeve. This filmy thing is, I suppose, meant to protect your $28-$40 investment (depending on whom you purchase from) and to save you from scratching or disfiguring it. I found it made it difficult getting the CD out of the bigger sleeve and the filmy cover doesn't conform very well after being out of the bag. Like that genie that comes out of the bottle, it doesn't want to go back in very easily.



The performance, if you've never heard this recording, is what I would call a late 1960s romantic approach to Strauss's mastepiece -- which was coming into its own in popular culture about that time thanks to Stanley Kubrick including the "sunrise" theme in is film "2001: A Space Odyssey." Compared to my favorite version of the music, the Karajan-Berlin Philharmonic reading from 1974 on DG R. Strauss: Zarathustra; Don Juan; 4 Last Songs, etc., Mehta tends to take each movement either a little faster or a little slower than the German, adding either breadth or urgency.



But it's still Strauss's great masterpiece, after all, and here it really isn't the interpretation that matters; it's the sound and the marketed packaging. While the sound can't turn the Los Angeles Philharmonic into the Vienna or Berlin philmarmonics, it is quite outstanding and lets you hear instruments you never heard before, especially the supporting instruments in the quieter moments. For example, near the end of movement 8, Das Tanzlied - Das Nachtlied, I heard timpani strokes I never recall hearing in the 35 years I've listed to this piece.



Anyone that would pay this premium price for 33 minutes of music surely has at least one or two other recordings of "Zarathustra" hanging around their house. They're buying this one because it is both modern and nostalgic and special in a unique way -- it may the first "really" super audio disk of classical music and something of a cause celebre in the marketing of classical music CDs. Perhaps this will set a new trend of reinvetion in classical music, bringing back successful old favorites better than the way they remake them at the movies. If so, this is a good start in that direction."

OH-SO! Sprach Zarathustra

L. Dawin | Ann Arbor, MI | 05/05/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The previous reviewers have covered just about everything, so I'll just add a few brief comments about this special release. I fell in love with the music of Richard Strauss over 40 years ago when I heard this vibrant recording of "Also Sprach" with the youthful and exuberant Zubin Metha leading the Los Angeles Philharmonic. In those days if you played a vinyl album repeatedly the grooves would turn white. Mine certainly did, that's how often I listened to this performance. Imagine my complete surprise and delight to discover this release of my old friend, remastered and repackaged and sounding unbelievable. The packaging is quirky to say the least, but it's all part of the uniqueness of this entire production, one that brings the performance back to life in ways I could never have imagined. I agree with both reviewers that you can hear sounds and instruments like never before, all in the biggest, most luscious, and fattest sound your sound system can provide. This is an expensive release, about $1 per minute, but each minute is so thrilling that it's worth every penny. Highly recommended for audiophiles, Strauss lovers and fans of the young Zubin Metha, or for anyone else who might just be curious to hear something wonderful."

Audiophile treatment for a classic "Also Sprach"

pm444 | Okemos, MI USA | 04/24/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The reviewer from Mason described this release so well that I won't repeat everything he wrote, except to say that the performance is just as thrilling and dynamic as it was when I first heard it years ago on vinyl. What's so amazing is to hear all the sounds that I never was able to enjoy on the LP, because of the limitations of the medium and/or my playback equipment. The liner notes are maddeningly vague about the process used to extract so much sonic detail from the original tapes, but whatever they did, it's a brilliant success. I have not heard another recording of "Also Sprach" on CD (or SACD) that comes even close to this one. Yes, it's expensive, but for me, it was worth every cent. Highly recommended."