Bartok, Strauss & Grieg: Violin Sonatas

“Vilde Frang's micro-sensitive responses to dynamic, articulation and phrasing...prove a revelation in the heady opulence of the Strauss, which has never sounded so urgently seductive or expressively supple on disc...Finest of all is Bartók's fiendishly demanding Solo Sonata, a virtuoso minefield of technical and musical ingenuity which Frang negotiates with an unflinching sense of musical direction.” --Classic FM Magazine, May 2011 *****

Gramophone Awards 2011 Finalist - Chamber

“Though Frang's tone generally appears quite light and silvery, she has ample reserves, and none of the climactic moments [in the Strauss] disappoint......In the Bartók I was immediately struck by Frang's fine rhythmic sense and varied tonal palette. Her playing has the necessary physicality for Bartók, without ever appearing forced...overall it's a top-class performance and, indeed, the whole programme is clearly a winner.” ..Gramophone Magazine, May 2011

“This is a singularly impressive recital, both for the choice of music - a mixed programme that works very well as a continuous listen...in which the performances are really quite compelling. Such commanding interpretations are made the more so by the musicians being ideally recorded...This is a spectacularly fine disc of unhackneyed repertoire in richly expressive performances.” --International Record Review, April 2011

Richard Strauss: Symphonia Domestica, Metamorphosen

“…Wit's account of the Symphonia domestica is richly spacious to match the recording although in no way lacking in forward momentum. …the tender writing for the child's "Wiegenlied" in the third section is especially touching, and the "Liebesszene" of the Adagio has all the Straussian erotic passion one could wish for. The Metamorphosen too is well played, with much refinement of texture and no lack of feeling...” --Gramophone Magazine, January 2010

Staatskapelle Weimar, Antoni Wit

Richard Strauss’s orchestral music includes several works with autobiographical significance, including Ein Heldenleben (Naxos 8554417).

Scored for large symphony orchestra, the Symphonia domestica depicts the delights and vicissitudes of married life with Strauss, his wife, child and other family members deftly portrayed in a variety of situations, including a ‘cheerful quarrel’ in which the father has the last word!

In contrast, Metamorphosen for 23 solo strings is Strauss’s heartbreaking meditation on the destruction of German culture during World War II.

Franck, Widor, Strauss: Works for Flute

No doubt a French cousin of Elmer, Emmanuel Pahud is always hunting that crazy transcription. What else is a flutist to do? There is only so much flute repertoire and one is, after all, obliged to play something composed after the death of Mozart. So like so many other loony tune flutists, Pahud has gone out hunting transcriptions of works originally conceived and executed for other instruments to add a little late Romantic meat to a diet otherwise consisting of Baroque bonbons and High Classical tonic water.

And what has Emmanuel Pahud bagged here? A warm-hearted transcription of Richard Strauss' early Sonata for violin and piano, a sweet-hearted transcription of César Franck's middling Sonata for violin and piano, and, lo and behold, a work originally conceived and executed for the flute, Charles-Marie Widor's ineffable Suite for flute and piano. As always, Pahud plays with a dazzling technique and a warm tone ideally suited for the red meat of Strauss, Franck, and Widor. With the able accompaniment of Eric le Sage, Pahud turns in a recording that is done to perfection. EMI's digital sound is so intimate you will swear that Pahud is breathing into your ear, a not altogether pleasant experience. --allmusic.com

R. Strauss & Dvorák: Chamber Music

“Maisky's performance of these works could hardly be bettered. Strauss's Sonata has enormous youthful élan, and the arrangements of the Romance for cello and orchestra and Morgen are exquisite. The expertly made Dvorák arrangements fare equally well.. Excellently recorded, this recital wins on all counts.” --BBC Music Magazine, March 2009 *****

“The cellist plunges heart and soul into this romantic-flavoured recital with the pianist Pavel Gililov. The pair’s passion helps to glue together the extravagances of Strauss’s Cello Sonata. For music with an individual voice, we must wait for Dvorák’s Sonatina. DG’s recording lets us feel Maisky’s every throb and tear…” --The Times, 28th February 2009 ****

MP3 320 · 162 MB

Holst: The Planets; Richard Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra

William Steinberg's Zarathustra always has been a personal favorite. Deutsche Grammophon never gave it much support because of excellent versions by Böhm and Karajan already in its catalog, but the Boston Symphony frankly outplays its Berlin counterpart, particularly in the brass and percussion departments, and Steinberg's Dionysian assault on the score never has been surpassed. He whips up the Dance Song in the second half to a truly Nietzschean frenzy. Every performance sounds a bit tame after this, and unlike so many other versions, he never gives the impression that it's all down hill after the famous opening.

If you love this work, than you simply must hear this recording.

As to The Planets, Steinberg's reading has rightly become a classic. His fast tempos and thrilling rhythmic grip approach the composer's own, but of course they make a much greater impact than Holst's thanks to stereo sound. "Mars", in particular, has both menace and real physical excitement, while once again the playing of the Boston Symphony combines poetry and polish with tremendous virtuosity. 

Sonically these performances always have sounded a bit bright on top and light in the bass, and the remastering hasn't changed that. Still, you won't find more powerful, pulse-pounding performances of either work anywhere, and having them together on a single CD offers excellent value. Now why not release Steinberg's equally excellent BSO Hindemith Mathis der Maler and Concert Music for Strings and Brass? [3/30/2001] --David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com

MP3 320 · 163 MB