Search - Richard [1] Strauss, Mariss Jansons, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra :: Strauss: Ein Heldenleben [Hybrid SACD]

Lush and exciting

Pater Ecstaticus | Norway | 10/08/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This must be the first recording of this work by Richard Strauss which had me really captivated by the music from beginning to end, and as such making me love the music and further explore and appreciate other wonderful recordings of this music. (Such as the grandiloquent, exquisitely balanced and natural-sounding Previn/Vienna Philharmonic.)

My appreciation of this specific recording from Amsterdam must certainly have to do with the fact that this recording is both lush and detailed - although maybe the orchestra is a little too 'distantly' recorded and sounding a little constricted in climaxes. Generally I like more directly recorded sound within a 'natural' sound stage, as much as possible reflecting the original acoustics of the recording venue (if they are nice, which they certainly are in this case). But all in all, this recording makes for an exciting listening-experience. Mariss Jansons here does simply what is asked of this music: to play it as beautifully as possible (without unidiomatic excentricities). The beauty of this performance as well as the recording-quality are certainly uncontested(even if it is not as clear or evenly balanced as could be - like for example the recording by Andre Previn and the Vienna Philharmionic Orchestra). We really have a wonderful orchestra here, and a magnificent, acoustically perfect, hall they can luckily call their home. And how fortunate we are to have Mariss Jansons at the helm, chief conducting 'our' greatest of orchestras. Just beautiful.

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A middle-of-the-road performance graced by lovely playing

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 02/11/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"The Royal Concertgebouw enters the field with its own label, a tactic that has proven very successful for the London Sym. This live performance of Ein Heldeleben is caught in ripe but somewhat distant sonics that tone down the excitement a bit, all the more because Jansons seems satisfied with a scrupulous, detailed account that holds back on drama--I supose he doesn't want the piece to sound garish. But why not? Heldenleben isn't much unless you play the wheels off it. Compared to Simon Rattle's outstanding new version with the Berlin Phil., this one is middle-of-the-pack, despite the warm, gorgeous playing of the orchestra (and a particularly fine solo violin in the long obligatto part). I find nothing to criticize here and next to nothing to rave about."