Search - Josef Strauss, Arthur Kulling, Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra Kosice :: The Strauss Edition, Vol. 15

Josef Strauss Volume 15

John Austin | Kangaroo Ground, Australia | 07/29/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Monotony? More than an hour of dance music by one composer might suggest the prospect of boredom. You'll not be bored, however, by this splendid CD, one of the most recent in Marco Polo's survey of the orchestral music of members of the Strauss Family. Marches, slow and quick polkas, quadrilles, landler and - of course some luscious waltzes are carefully programmed to provide more than an hour of delightful listening. To listen to the last item, the waltz "Mein Lebenslauf ist Lieb' und Lust", is to happily accept that Josef Strauss was the greatest Strauss of all. Copious but anonymous notes are provided, giving well-researched information about the significance of each piece's title and the circumstances of its first performance. Three of the pieces survive only in piano editions, and these have been orchestrated by Arthur Kulling, the conductor in this recording. Excellent sound."