Clean performances
J. Vich | Prague, Czech Republic, EUROPE | 07/25/2004
(3 out of 5 stars)
"According to my opinion, these intepretations - compared i.e. to Karajan or Bohm, are much less dynamic. Jarvi's reading brings is very damped result, with very detailed intepretation, but nearly no story-telling and ferocity, necessary for some of R. Strauss's symphonic poems. I find detailed and soft intepretation very suitable for Don Quixote and Symphonia Domestica, but I think there are far better (more vivid and spirited) intepretations of Eulenspiegel, Macbeth, and Zarathustra (Bohm for sure, Blomstedt, Kempe probably, and Karajan naturally - I prefer Bohm's or Blomstedt's excellent reading of most R. Strauss compositions).
Anyway, I must appreciate Jarvi's intepretation of Don Quixote once more, it is really well done.
Finally, I gave three stars, because I heard some R. Strauss pieces at the concerto recently - under maestro Blomstedt's, conducting Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, and Jarvi's results with same pieces are notably worse (although I like mr. Neeme Jarvi as conductor very very much).
This set is valuable as alternative if you already another with some of conductors written above. If this should be first (or only one) R. Strauss's recording you will own, I would recommend you going for someone esle than mr. Jarvi."