Don Juan

Richard Strauss. Don Juan; Death and Transfiguration; Dance of the Seven Veils; Rosenkavalier Suite - New York Philharmonic; Lorin Maazel
Classical | 1 CDs | EAC Rip | 359 Mb | FLAC+LOG+Cue+MD5 | Full scans | RS Links
Publisher: Deutsche Grammophon

Lorin Maazel usually is a very good Strauss conductor, and he's at his best in these live recordings. He launches Don Juan with considerable gusto, and only the quiet passage before the famous horn theme sounds as if it could move a bit more purposefully forward. The orchestra plays extremely well, as it does in Death and Transfiguration, an interpretation full of excitement and (at the end) exaltation, and without a trace of the affectation that sometimes mars Maazel's work. The truth is, he has such a fine podium technique that it sometimes seems he does things because he can, rather than because he should–but not here. This performance, and the smoldering, sultry, deliciously trashy Salomé's Dance, are the disc's highlights. The Rosenkavalier Suite closes the program in ebullient fashion, though the music itself isn't quite so much fun as the other items on the program. The live sonics are good, a touch raw at the climaxes, but very acceptable. I do wish, though, that the applause had been edited out. Recommended.
-David Hurwitz