Don Quixote

"This is less of a conversation, more of an oration. Strauss's early F major Sonata, for which he is joined by the pianist Herbert Schuch, has a distinctly heroic cast to which Müller-Schott rises persuasively; then, with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra conducted by Andrew Davis, he draws a vivid portrait of the self-styled knight errant in the concerto-like tone poem Don Quixote".

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"This is an excellent account of Don Quixote. The catalogue isn't exactly short of fine recordings but this one competes with the best. Gerhardt and Power are marvellous principals but they manage to project their characters splendidly while giving us a sense also that they are primus inter pares, as Strauss intended ... I wonder what the Gürzenich-Orchester of 1895 made of Till Eulenspiegel ... Stenz and his players give a fine and entertaining account of it ... So, despite the rather short playing time there's a great deal to commend this disc".

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"There's little to fault in Müller-Schott's playing ... He sings out the two songs gorgeously, and the performance of the sonata is technically superb - full of focus and conviction and, in the moments that require it, lyricism ... The tone poem is the main event, though ... Davis proves himself again to be an instinctive Straussian - his pacing is impeccable and he draws vivid playing from his orchestra".

"Pictorial points are in general well made; the scenes are colourfully set; and both Gerhardt and Power are such fine, sensitive and expressive musicians that they encapsulate the varied moods of their protagonists poignantly and purposefully. Markus Stenz attacks Till Eulenspiegel with vigour, spirited detail and humour"".