Richard 1 Strauss Christian Thielemann Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra - Strauss Ein Heldenleben Die Frau ohne SchattenFantasie +Album Reviews

Love Strauss, Love Thielemann!

Grady Harp | Los Angeles, CA United States | 03/10/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is one wondrous recording on every level. Christian Thielemann is becoming one our more important Straussian conductors: he has a particular affinity for the drama and majesty of Strauss' sometimes over-the-top writing. The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra responds to Thielemann with not only obvious respect but also with all out, full throttle brilliance of playing.

A welcome addition to the recorded repertoire is Thielemann's choice of including 'Die Frau ohne Schatten' symphonic fantasy on this CD (this was recorded in the studio as opposed to the Ein Heldenleben which was recorded live). The 'Fantasy' of excerpts may not be the wisest synthesis Strauss made of his own music, but just to have the pleasure of hearing the gorgeous orchestral portions of that great opera without the voices is a treat.

But on to the primary reason for applause: 'Ein Heldenleben' here receives one of the most satisfyingly fresh and well-conceived performances on record. The various 'movement/sections' remain suitably depictive, but it is the overall vision of this score that makes Thielemann's grasp so sound. This is Strauss played with all the voluptuousness and elegant line and sonorous melody that is inherent in this score so often overblown in the hands of lesser conductors. The engineering is of the highest quality resulting in a sound that must be heard to be believed. This is truly a magnificent recording. Highly Recommended. Grady Harp, March 06"

Splendor from the best living Strauss conductor

J. F. Laurson | Washington, DC United States | 04/23/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Vienna and Thielemann - it works like a charm! Be it Tristan & Isolde or their piece by piece Strauss collection: Thielemann is most at home in this musical vernacular, and the VPO (= WPh) is one of the best orchestras to do it with... together with the Munich Philharmonic.

The latter Orchestra happens to have been the one where I heard Thielemann conduct this live. I didn't even notice it was Thielemann (I had just 'stopped by' the concert house, not looking at the program), I was so enthralled with the music. Similar things can be achieved with this record -- but only when listened to at extreme volumes OR on headphones. The sweeping nature will be - despite it being the best sonic quality record of Ein Heldenleben on the market - lost on your average boombox. It would be such a waste. Even the cheapest headphones quadruple the enjoyment.

The way that Thielemann tightens the rhythm is exemplary - compared with this, Mariss Jansons's RCO recording (RCO live 001) sounds downright flabby. The FrOSch-fantasie is entirely forgettable, but that's Strauss's fault, not Thielemann's. This is, together with Karajan's middle [thanks, MJW] account (EMI) and of course the supreme Kempe account (EMI, also) the Heldenleben to get... it is also the best in terms of sound quality."

A flawless Heldenleben with the unsurpassed Vienna Phil.

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 01/18/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Following the protracted Berlin opera turf war that set Thielemann against Barenboim a few years ago, the German's image was less than shining, and I have grave doubts about his Wagner. But in Strauss Thielemann is flawless -- flexible, imaginative, always tasteful and dramatically convincing. This Heldeleben vies direclty with the new account from Berlin under Simon Rattle, and both are worthy to stand beside the two classic Karajan recordings. I can't give the edge to either.

What makes this account of Ein Heldenleben exciting for me is the engineering--we are set dead in the middle of the Vienna Phil. and hear the orchestra as the conductor does. Some critics object to such an up-close perspective, and it's true that solo violin, piccolo, or an entire brass section leap forward as needed. But it's exciting, and Thielemann brings out every detail. Strauss wrote so much detail into the score that a great recording yields sumptuous results; all the more with today's Vienna Phil, an ensemble of astonishing virtuosity, here displayed in full.

Musically, I'm just as enthusiastic about the filler, Strauss's own symphonic synthesis from Die Frau ohne Schatten. On Reference Records you can hear a stupendously recorded suite taken from the opera's orchestral interludes (Oue, Minnesota Orch.), not all of which were used by the composer for this work. Die Frau isn't entirely memorable melodically but is the epitome of Strauss's orchestral mastery, and having heard Thielemann conduct the opera at the Met, I know he can hold its many layers and textures together. He does so here, to, and once again the Vienna Phil. is beyond compare in its execution. Five stars without hesitation."

Thrilling, Somewhat Heavy-Handed Heldenleben Plus A Superb R

dv_forever | Michigan, USA | 09/23/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I look forward to new recordings by Christian Thielemann, he is one of the most inspired modern day conductors of Late-Romantic, Austro-German repertoire. He's already recorded two Wagner operas! ( Tristan und Isolde and Parsifal ). Deutsche Grammophon clearly sees a winning talent on their team. Thielemann has also recorded several orchestral works of Richard Strauss. First came some early opera excerpts, then came a fine account of the Alpine Symphony coupled with the suite from Der Rosenkavalier and here we have his most recent foray into the Strauss works with this massive Ein Heldenleben and the 22 minute symphonic fantasy from Die Frau Ohne Schatten.

Right away from the opening of Hero's Life, you know you've got a true individual spirit on the podium leading the magnificient body of the Vienna Philharmonic. They sound grand and extravagant, Thielemann asks for plenty of weight from the basses up through to the soaring violins. There is a great depth of sound and people who generally prefer leaner readings, like Fritz Reiner's famous account on RCA, will initially be skeptical of Thielemann's go for the grandeur approach. The opening Hero section is majestic if a bit over-weighted, perhaps somewhat more impetus would have helped. The section with the critics goes by just fine and in the famous section with the Hero's Beloved we hear that Thielemann isn't here to dawdle or overplay anything. He moves things very nicely, just like Karajan did on his famous Heldenleben recordings. Remember that this whole violin portrayal of the wife can get rather tedious in the wrong conductor's hands, especially if their tempo is too slow. Thielemann succeeds by playing this section quite well, the strings in the second part are great and everything sounds like it's in it's natural tempo. Thielemann clearly knows what he's doing in the famous Battle Scene, there is power aplenty as well as sensuousness and inner detail. Ultimately he can't top or approach the madness, go for broke quality that Herbert von Karajan made you experience in the Battle Scene. I think Simon Rattle's recent EMI version is also slightly ahead of Thielemann in this part but certainly Christian is better than most of his competitors.

The later section with the Hero's Works of Peace and his Retirement from the World and Fulfillment are lovely, Thielemann focuses on the lovely melodies and some listeners who like to have things move more quickly might not like it but I thought it was very beautiful. All in all I would say that this Heldenleben is a winner, a truly muscular, if perhaps at times over-weighted, somewhat bloated account. The sound is great, detailed but with plenty of warmth and a lush, terrific perspective.

The Die Frau Fantasy is a must listen too. It's 22 minutes of music, most of the famous melodies from the opera are laced together to create this symphonic synthesis. The ravishing orchestral interludes of Act 2 in the opera don't find their way into this 22 minute synthesis, so you'll have to listen to a complete opera recording to hear them as well as all the gorgeous music of this work in full. I recommend Georg Solti's complete Die Frau Ohne Schatten on Decca as a reference recording for this majestic opera, one of Richard Strauss' finest achievements.

However, listening to this entire opera is a long haul indeed, so it is wonderful that Thielemann chose to record this Die Frau Fantasy to give people an exquisite taste of this seductive work. His performance is practically ideal, he brings the same qualities of the Heldenleben account to bear on this score. The warm, lush sound coupled with the great outbursts of orchestral power, it's fantastic. In making orchestal suites of operas, it's tough to put the material together in a cogent way, I think Strauss does fine but you'll really want to hear the opera itself after this. The climax of the work on this recording is strikingly powerful but in the opera it can get just overwhelming, what with the chorus and soloists singing their hearts out, it's amazing!

Anyway, look into the complete opera, this Thielemann recording is but a taste, cat-nip for all you lovers of Late-Romantic musical excess! A fine recording of both pieces under Christian Thilemann, even though his Heldenleben does not in anyway eclipse Herbert von Karajan's many versions, ( especially Karajan's great EMI recording from 1974 ), Thielemann does just fine when compared to his recent competitors in this music like Simon Rattle, whose Heldenleben on EMI I have also reviewed. Four stars for Thielemann, four stars for Rattle, always five stars for Karajan!"

Search - Richard [1] Strauss, Christian Thielemann, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra :: Strauss: Ein Heldenleben; Die Frau ohne Schatten-Fantasie

CD Details

CD Reviews

	Richard [1] Strauss, Christian Thielemann, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra Strauss: Ein Heldenleben; Die Frau ohne Schatten-Fantasie Genre: Classical
? Larger Image