.com George Szell seemed to avoid Strauss's most splashy tone poems-- Zarathustra and Heldenleben--perhaps out of his natural dislike of kitsch, or possibly because Columbia (now Sony) had Eugene Ormandy and Philadelphia covering that territory. It's our gain, because while there are lots of great recordings of these latter two works, how many great performances of the Sinfonia domestica can you point to? Granted, it's a tough piece to bring off--a day in the life of the composer's family, complete with bathing the baby and a really graphic sex scene. But it's also one of the few works by Strauss that actually ends at the end, and not 20 minutes before. In any case, this is the performance to have, and Death is just as good. --David Hurwitz
P**E
Perfect Strauss from Szell and Cleveland Orchestra
Most of the music scholars and critics have more or less denounced Strauss' Sinfonia Domestica as a far cry from the composer's best works. However, I am of the minority opinion that it is indeed among his best compositions. The work is full of beautiful, attractive melodies, has skillful orchestration going for it (as usual of Strauss!). Furthermore, it is one of few Strauss pieces that end with BANG! Szell's Cleveland account will convince you of the superiority of this great symphony with the - typically - perfect articulation of the orchestra, no nonsense but clear headed, classy approach from the podium, all in the late 50s vintage Columbia sound. The icing on the cake is Szell's intensely lyrical and moving rendition of 'Death and Transfiguration'. What more could you ask for?
R**E
A thrilling classic
I have owned this recording for years, first on cassette and then on CD; it is definitely one of my desert-island discs. Devoted to Richard Strauss' music as I am, I have yet to find performances to match these. It seems inconceivable that Columbia recorded them over 50 years ago in the case of the two items conducted by Szell, and 47 years ago for the Ormandy filler. The music fairly leaps out of the speakers. We hear two virtuoso orchestras conducted by masters of the Straussian idiom; these are thrilling, exhilarating, life-enhancing performances; you have to punch the air and shout "Yes!" at the end of each of them! Szell makes the best possible case for the awkward "Sinfonia Domestica", which has the most glorious, witty, prolonged and protracted cadenced conclusion since Beethoven's Fifth. The other two pieces are are too well established in the repertoire to require justification. Intonation, dynamics, ensemble, are all just wondrous. (If you enjoy this, you should also acquire Ormandy and the Philadelphia playing their definitive account of "Ein Heldenleben" and the two tone poems "Don Juan" and "Till Eulenspiegel", also in the Sony Essential Classics series; the perfect companion piece to this disc and every bit as exciting.)
P**S
A generous program, splendid performances and great sonics make for very a desirable and affordable cd !!!
Both George Szell and Fritz Reiner brought 2 different levels of uniquely exciting clarity to their respective recordings of Symphonia Domestica- Szell, a crackling, bristling, hyperactive intensity; Reiner, the slowly broiling crucible with savory colors and nuanced, expressive detail. This cd also has Szell's savage driving Death t Transfiguration and Ormandy's lushly phrased and free-wheeling Dance of the Seven Veils. From recordings made 1958, 1962 and 1964.
J**I
excellent
this is a great recording of one of Strauss' operas. it brings out the intensity of Strauss' composing.
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