An Alpine Symphony

An Alpine Symphony Naxos 8.557811 Composer: Richard Strauss Conductor: Antoni Wit Orchestra: Weimar Staatskapelle A conductor highly regarded for his early recordings of twentieth century and contemporary Polish composers such as Górecki, Lutoslawski, Kilar, and Szymanowski, Antoni Wit broadened his horizons to include more diverse and (nearly) mainstream repertoire. Featured on this album is Richard Strauss' monumental Alpine Symphony. For this release, Naxos has paired Wit with the Weimar Staatskapelle – an enlightened choice since the venerable master composer was once the chief Kapellmeister in the historically rich German city. Although frequently overshadowed by their colleagues in Berlin, Dresden, and Munich, the Weimar players are nonetheless impressive. They have not only strong cultural traditions, but impressive technical and artistic capabilities as well – all of which are prerequisites for any performance of the Alpine Symphony. Strauss' early tone poem is a work that requires not only technical finesse but also towering heights of endurance. Strauss' lengthy work can quickly – and easily – make sauerkraut of any orchestra unprepared for its demands: many of the world's finest orchestras have brutally snowballed down the Alpine's slippery slopes. Wit seems to be a master at creating large walls of sound with the Weimar players. In fact, there is a consistent, Furtwängler-esque quality of enigma and imprecision – could it be that the orchestra's recent recordings of Furtwängler's own works on Arte Nova have permanently been etched into their sound? Regardless, while the approach is sometimes refreshing, as during “Sunrise” and “Night,” it is at others maddening. Take the “Storm,” for instance: would-be drama is whisked away thanks to sogginess surrounding what should be an ultra-short (but crisp) luftpause. An Alpine Symphony Review An impressive recording of the Alpine Symphony at a budget price. It goes to show that you do not have to dig deep in your pockets to scale the heights. This work is scored for a very large orchestra, including multiple brass and woodwind instruments, cow bells, a huge percussion section, a pipe organ, and wind and thunder machines. It is an expansive and dramatic tone-poem depicting a day’s hike through the mountains from sunrise to nightfall. To me, it also represents a man’s journey through life, from birth through to adolescence, maturity, the peak of his life, struggles and conflicts, followed by the slow decline of old age, fond memories of life and ending with death depicted by nightfall. Strauss divided the piece into 22 aptly named sections, so you always know where you are within the journey, be it the ascent, walking through pastures, reaching the summit, the thunderstorm, the sunset…Reaching the summit is one of the most spectacular and uplifting moments in music, with a majestic theme and perfect orchestration. The conductor and orchestra are in great form here and are supported by yet another top-notch sound recording by Naxos. Jean-Yves Duperron – Classical Music Sentinel