Music / klassiske symfonier

Also sprach Zarathustra


Reviews (38)


AllMusic

2017

By

By

Blair Sanderson

2017

"Richard Strauss' tone poem, Also sprach Zarathustra, dominates the program with its powerful Nietszchean program and opulent orchestration, and the performance is outstanding for its high energy and extraordinary details, no mean feat with such a dense score".


classicalsource.com

2019 September

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By

Colin Anderson

2019 September

"A glorious Sunrise cues Riccardo Chailly's account of Zarathustra ... From there Richard Strauss's Nietzsche-inspired symphonic poem boasts atmosphere, beauty (glowing strings) and thrills, with impetus when required, although Chailly's basic conception is broad, the emphasis being on lyrical intensity and scientific contemplation ... Swings and roundabouts then ... The trump card is a rollicking account of Till Eulenspiegel, Chailly relishing its cartoon-strip aspects ... Finally, to complete this generous Strauss programme, Salome strips off, veil by veil, for ten minutes of sleazy seduction".


The independent

d. 18. Oct. 2013

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By

Andy Gill

d. 18. Oct. 2013

" Not surprisingly, the great fanfare introduction is carried off in sweeping, dramatic manner, but thereafter Dudamel brings a subtle, lilting melancholy to the "Backworldsmen" section, seguing smoothly into the pastoral Romanticism of the "Great Longing", before sprightly strings and thoughtful woodwind are skilfully deployed to convey the elevated lightness of "Science & Learning". A fine interpretation".


AllMusic

2020

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By

Blair Sanderson

2020

"Guest pianist Daniil Trifonov joins Jansons and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra in the Burleske, and they give it a first-rate virtuoso treatment, but this disc is primarily the orchestra's showcase, and no piece shows off this orchestra's brilliance more effectively than Also sprach Zarathustra".


MusicWeb international

2017 October

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By

Dan Morgan (musikanmelder)

2017 October

"Strauss's Nietzschean epic, Also Sprach Zarathustra, has fared well on record, but, as I pointed out in my recent review of Ed Gardner's recording with the NYOGB, the old 'uns are still the best 'uns ... Jurowski's overall approach is more expansive than most. Trouble is, he's just too laid back, and that's not ideal in a work that begs to be played for all it's worth ... Not Jurowski's finest hour; look elsewhere".


The Arts Fuse

d. 29. Aug. 2017

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By

Jonathan Blumhofer

d. 29. Aug. 2017

"If, for whatever reason, you've wondered what a passionless, emotionally uninvolved performance of Also sprach Zarathustra sounds like, look no further than Vladimir Jurowski's new reading of the Richard Strauss classic for Pentatone. Here's about as straightforward, ho-hum, un-monumental an interpretation of this late-Romantic pillar as they come".


MusicWeb international

2020 February

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By

Michael Cookson

2020 February

"The Sunrise section, although immediately striking and highly significant, is only a small part of the whole score. Overall Jansons delivers a beautifully moulded performance, with satisfying playing that demonstrates his renown as a Straussian. Showing their absolute affinity for the music, the Bavarian players are clearly relishing every second. A distinctive warm Straussian lyricism is evident throughout. Conspicuous here is the section The Convalescent, where Jansons generates an impressive climax of substantial power. Of special note are the concertmaster's lovely violin solos, the radiant tone of the strings and the woodwind detail".


MusicWeb international

2023 May

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By

Simon Thompson (musikanmelder)

2023 May

"At the end of François-Xavier Roth's performance of Also Sprach Zarathustra, it's pretty clear which culminating end-point the music had been heading towards all along ... I wasn't so sure about the journey there, however. Until that final dance, Roth's shaping of Strauss's poetry feels bitty and episodic ... Jeux works better, though its eyebrow-raising subtleties make it an odd choice of companion piece for Strauss's vision of the universe ... That's not enough to make this disc essential, however. You'll find better performances of both works elsewhere".


Presto classical

d. 24. Mar. 2023

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By

James Longstaffe

d. 24. Mar. 2023

"Recording of the week: Roth brings great clarity even in the densest music ... The principal jewel of this recording must be the opulence of the strings, for which there can be no better example than the conclusion to "Von den Hinterweltlern" (Of the Backworldsmen) ... Another test of virtuosity is Debussy's 1913 ballet, Jeux, which with its constantly-changing tempo markings needs enormous control from conductor and orchestra alike. Sitting alongside the Strauss it confirms the brilliance and flexibility of this magnificent orchestra".


Politiken

d. 28. Nov. 2017

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By

Thomas Michelsen

d. 28. Nov. 2017

"Varm sarthed og sans for det luksuriøse i Richard Strauss' orkesterklang gør dette til en interessant ny indspilning ... Ikke alle detaljer er sat fuldstændig på plads under Vladimir Jurowskijs ledelse, men musikkens nerve er ramt, så den synger. Dermed er udgivelsen en anbefaling af det nu faste samarbejde mellem berlinerorkestret og den russiske dirigent".


Diapason

2015 mars

By

By

Patrick Szersnovicz

2015 mars


Opus

2015, nr. 62

By

By

Ladislaus Horatius

2015, nr. 62

"SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg under Francois-Xavier Roth låter förträffligt. Så vitt jag kan se i noterna gör de verken full rättvisa".


Fono Forum

2017 Dezember

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By

Thomas Schulz (f. 1960)

2017 Dezember

"So feinstimmig und zurückhaltend, von noblem Understatement beseelt, hat man die berühmte und viel malträtierte Einleitung zu Richard Strauss' Zarathustra wohl selten gehört ... Dieser Eindruck setzt sich auch im weiteren Verlauf des Werks fort ... Was aber letzlich zu kurz kommt, ist die Lebensfreude und Lust am Überschwang, von der die Musik in nicht geringem Masse beseelt ist ... Keine Probleme gibt es in den Beigaben: Zweimal frühen Mahler".


BBC music magazine

2017 Christmas

By

By

Stephen Johnson (f. 1955)

2017 Christmas

"The sensitive, finely shaped, searching performance that follows on makes a good case for playing things down at the start [of Also sprach] ... The performance [of Totenfeier] has such compelling conviction that occasional differences from the familiar version (orchestration, texture, a small amount of extra material) hardly matter ... Whoever wrote [the Symphonic Prelude], I doubt it's been better performed".


BBC music magazine

2019 December

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By

David Nice

2019 December

"Interpretatively, it's Riccardo Chailly business as usual: exemplary textures ... but not as much forward movement or flying through the air as there should be".


Diapason

2014 juin

By

By

Rémy Louis

2014 juin


Fono Forum

2013 November

By

By

Thomas Schulz (f. 1960)

2013 November

"Vurdering: Tipp" - "Die Aufnahmen sind, auch wenn's kitschig klingen mag, in zweifacher Hinsicht ein Dokument der Liebe: zum einen der zwischen Dirigent und Orchester - da scheint es regelrecht gefunkt zu haben! -, zum anderen der zwischen Dudamel und der Strauss'schen Musik".


BBC music magazine

2013 Christmas

By

By

David Nice

2013 Christmas

"Most frustrating is Also sprach Zarathustra ... In no way other than the playing, then, is this the high-class gambit DG might have hoped. It's outshone by recent Strauss orchestral releases".


BBC music magazine

2021 February

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By

David Nice

2021 February

"Orchestral choice: Both [works] need this wide soundscape and the art that conceals art for the details in a clear, broad picture. We still get the timbres of woodwind and harps adding their splashes of colour; from shrieking piccolo to silky bass lines, as quiet as the grave in Strauss's first fugue, the dynamic range is impressive ... I'd thought of Dausgaard as a febrile kind of conductor, but he knows when to go slow and spacious here, when to drive to thrilling climaxes".


Diapason

2020 avril

By

By

Rémy Louis

2020 avril


Klassisk

2020, nr. 57

By

By

Jeppe Rönnow

2020, nr. 57

"Also sprach Zarathustra - blot halvandet minut varer solopgangen under Mariss Jansons dirigentstok og Det Bayeriske Radioorkester, men hvilke minutter af musikalsk storhed! ... Mariss Jansons gør alt, hvad han kan, for ikke at tabe energien og give musikken liv i de resterende satser. Det er et vanskeligt arbejde, selvom der er mange lyspunkter imellem ... Som bonus får man et ungdomsværk ... 'Burleske' ... Det er den eminente klaverekvilibrist Daniil Trifonov på tangenter, der i sig selv løfter det meste ... Timingen bliver præcis og musikalsk".


BBC music magazine

2020 May

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By

Oliver Condy

2020 May

"Underwhelming organ in the introduction aside, this is a passionate, detailed 'Also Sprach'. Jansons, as usual, is in total command. Daniil Trifonov sparkles in the 'Burleske' - a concerto in all but name".


Fono Forum

2020 Juli

By

By

Gerald Felber

2020 Juli

"Man hört hier eine breit-gelassene, in ruhiger Weite entfaltete Darbietung mit langen Steigerungsbögen, die bei allem Respekt vor den pikanten - und von den Orchestersolisten brillant und gefühlstief dargebotenen - Details einen Zug in meditativ Betrachtende hat. Da wird Strauss' Tondichtung weniger von der patetisch-Theatralischen Aussen - als von ihrer Innenseite her gesehen".


Diapason

2023 mai

By

By

Hugues Mousseau

2023 mai


Fono Forum

2023 September

By

By

Clemens Haustein

2023 September


The gramophone

2014 December

By

By

Edward Seckerson

2014 December

"This must be one of the most satisfying Zarathustras around - and even if you are allergic (as I am) to Aus Italien there is alway a first-movement turne to revisit from time to time".


The gramophone

2017 November

By

By

Hugo Shirley

2017 November

"Also sprach Zarathustra is big on structure and pacing ... There's an impressive single-mindedness throughout ... The Totenfeier coupling favours an imposing grandeur over its predecessor's exciting rawness. And, as with the Strauss, it benefits a great deal from Jurowski's patience ... The programme's final work causes a certain confusion ... This 1876 Symphonic Prelude for orchestra is now usually ascribed to Bruckner but it is listed as being by Mahler in the track-listing ... Whatever ... the expansive, eloquent performance it receives here tops off a worthwhile disc".


Berlingske tidende

d. 1. Mar. 2000

By

d. 1. Mar. 2000


Jyllands-posten

d. 6. June 2000

By

d. 6. June 2000


Politiken

d. 7. Nov. 1999

By

d. 7. Nov. 1999


Diapason

2019 octobre

By

By

Christophe Huss

2019 octobre

"Vurdering: Diapason d'or".


The gramophone

2019 November

By

By

Hugo Shirley

2019 November

"The playing, predictably, is stunningly good, the performances superbly taut, concentrated and responsive. Till Eulenspiegel perhaps comes off best of all: rarely has the work sounded so dazzlingly fresh and brilliant. The strings have a razor-like sharpness, the brass real bite ... The humour, meanwhile, comes off all the more vividly for Chailly's straight-man direction ... All in all a luxurious treat, highly recommended".


International record review

2014 June

By

By

Richard Whitehouse

2014 June

"As a coupling, this disc has much to recommend it ... The sound continues Orfeo's productive relationship with the acoustic of Symphony Hall".


BBC music magazine

2014 June

By

By

David Nice

2014 June

""[Nelsons] knows he can ask anything of his players ... Nelsons attacks when necessary with full-throttle precipitation ... The shadowlands are even more sustained, highlighting the restless lover's death wish ... but Nelson's charisma always shines through".


The gramophone

2014 July

By

By

Rob Cowan (f. 1948)

2014 July

"Vurdering: Editor's choice" - "All in all, a rewarding and musically satisfying trio of performances, as exciting as any from the last 10 yeards or so, and for the most part superbly recorded".


International record review

2014 March

By

By

Raymond S. Tuttle

2014 March

"Although these are live recordings, they are not particularly exciting. Here, Strauss's scores sound if they have been carefully assembled, rather than played straight through. There is a decided lack of spontaneity".


The gramophone

2013 December

By

By

David Gutman

2013 December

"He [Dudamel] has long directed Also sprach Zarathustra from memory and turns in a performance which might not hang together with absolute inevitability but still feels deeply considered".


The gramophone

2023 June

By

By

Hugo Shirley

2023 June

"This 'Also sprach' is every bit as fine as its coupling. It's a performance of almost head-spinning swagger ... As with his earlier recording [of Also sprach], Roth never loses sight of the work's structure, tying everything together with the surest of touches, but this new account adds to that a new and thrilling energy and sense of excitement. Highly recommended".



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