Search - Oue, E:cnd/Minnesota Orch :: Strauss: Ein Heldenleben / Interludes from Die Frau ohne Schatten

Magnificent sonics and a nice performance

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 12/30/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"The Minnesota Orchestra had hig hopes for Eiji Oue and a recording contract with Refrence that promised state of the art sonics. The latter part of the bargain came to wonderful fruition. Ein Heldenleben has been a sonic blockbuster since Reiner's great Living Stereo recording on RCA from the mid-Fifties golden age. This recording easily surpasses it in clarity and naturalness, with every section blossoming realistically and a spacious acoustic for the music to swoon in.



As for Oue, he departed rather quickly, and I doubt we will hear much from him in the future. Actually, for such a pedestrain conductor, he had good technique and this emerges as one of his best interpretations. You won't hear genius at any point, but everything is solidly in place, and the Minnesota Orchestra sounds totally up to the task of this demanding score.



Musically, the thing to rejoice over is the suite made from all the interludes in Strauss's mammoth opera Die Frau Ohne Schatten. Oue gives an explosive, almost hysterical reading that pulls us to the edge of our seats, and the sonics are just as spectacular as in the Heldenleben. Five stars for this part."

Excellent recording of Strauss!

David Adolphson | Rochester, MN, United States | 06/12/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The MN orchestra really comes through on this CD. Absolutely blows the Chicago Symphony recording out of the water. Both better playing, and better quality recording. If you like brass, buy this CD!!!"