There have been many fine recordings of this opulent score, including Solti’s (Decca), Previn’s (Telarc), and the recent Askkenazy (Ondine), but if forced to choose a single recording I have no hesitation in picking this one. I realize that this may come as a shock given the number of Strauss specialists (both conductors and orchestras) that have recorded the work, but I challenge anyone with even the vaguest idea of how this music should sound to compare this newcomer to, say, Thielemann’s tiresomely mediocre version with the Vienna Philharmonic and not reach the honest conclusion that Kord conducts better, the Warsaw Philharmonic plays better, and CD Accord offers vastly superior sonics (and the best storm sequence ever). The fact that this is a live recording only makes the achievement all the more remarkable.
David Hurwitz, Classics Today
Reviews:
Classics Today
RICHARD STRAUSS (1864-1949)
Eine Alpensinfonie Op. 64
1. Nacht – Night 3:12
2. Sonnenaufgang – Sunrise 1:33
3. Der Anstieg – The Approach to the Mountains 2:02
4. Eintritt in den Wald – Into the Forest 4:39
5. Wanderung neben dem Bache – Along the Stream 0:46
6. Am Wasserfall – The Waterfall 0:15
7. Erscheinung – Apparition 0:50
8. Auf blumige Wiesen – In the Flower Meadows 0:48
9. Auf der Alm – In the High Mountain Pasture 1:57
10. Durch Dickicht und Gestrüpp auf Irrwegen – Through the Tangles and Thickets 1:17
11. Auf dem Gletscher – On the Glacier 0:54
12. Gefahrvolle Augenblicke – Dangerous Moments 1:23
13. Auf dem Gipfel – On the Summit 4:35
14. Vision – Vision 2:07
15. Nebel steigen auf – Fog 0:16
16. Die Sonne verdüstert sich allmählich – The Sun is Gradually Hidden by Clouds 0:37
17. Elegie – Elegy 1:27
18. Stille vor dem Sturm – Calm Before the Storm 2:21
19. Gewitter und Sturm, Abstieg – Wind and Storm, The Descent 3:47
20. Sonnenuntergang – Sunset 1:46
21. Ausklang – Epilogue 4:55
22. Nacht – Night 1:50
Total time: 43:29
