Bernard Haitink conducts Richard Strauss:
- ‘Don Juan’ and ‘Ein Heldenleben’.
Richard Strauss was only 25 years old when his tone-poem ‘Don Juan’ was premiered in 1889, and it was a musical depiction of a young man’s relentless pursuit that launched the composer’s reputation as master of the tone-poem genre.
Composed ten years later, Strauss’ “Ein Heldenleben” (Life of a Hero), tells another story — this time based on that of the composer himself. Both works exhibit the glorious orchestral colors and amazing energy that were to become the composer’s most admired hallmarks.
The tracks on this CD are:
Strauss, R:
- Don Juan, Op. 20
- Ein Heldenleben, Op. 40
Performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Bernard Haitink conducting.
Bernard Haitink has had a long association with the music of Richard Strauss. These two concert recordings are both examples of Haitink’s renowned conducting excellence.
The concert environment of ‘Don Juan’ gives the performance a delightful spontaneity, and his approach to ‘Ein Heldenleben’ is lighter in texture than most other interpretations, allowing the listener to hear very clearly the unique examples of Richard Strauss’ orchestration.
Here is Richard Strauss’ “Don Juan”, with Georg Solti conducting:
http://youtu.be/7q9AsHax-vk
And next, here is Strauss’ “Ein Heldenleben”, op. 40 – conducted by Mariss Jansons:
Tags: Richard Strauss, Bernard Haitink, Ein Heldenleben, Don Juan
