Bonn

Scots-born composer Eugen d'Albert established his career in Germany, considered himself a German composer, and his 21 operas (written in German) are saturated with the musical language of Germanic post-Romanticism. Der Golem (1926) came from late in his career, and while its Frankfurt premiere was considered a success, it has not held the stage. This MDG recording comes from a first-rate production at Theater Bonn in 2010. The opera is skillfully written, but the recording confirms the judgment of history: Der Golem is just not an especially compelling piece, either musically or dramatically.

Richard Strauss' dramatic Festival Prelude for organ and orchestra opens this 2017 MDG audiophile release, though the major work on the program is the Symphony No. 2 in E flat major of Franz Schmidt, the longest of his four symphonies and in many ways the most challenging to perform. The two works were written in 1913, and the celebratory mood of the Strauss piece, which was composed for the dedication of the Vienna Konzerthaus, adequately sets the stage for Schmidt's cheerful symphony. Listeners well acquainted with Strauss' post-Romantic style will find much of his influence in the latter work, both in terms of the lavish orchestration and the elaborate, multi-layered writing. Schmidt clearly absorbed Strauss' tone poems, and echoes of Don Juan, Ein Heldenleben, and Also sprach Zarathustra can be detected throughout the Symphony No. 2.

Among Goethes dramas, Egmont stands practically unrivaled in its vibrant portrayal of protagonists faced with emotional anxieties and conflicts. For the convincing presentation of these states of heart and mind on the stage, the Prince of German Poets prescribed music for the key scenes as early as the works premiere. Now the Beethoven Orchestra of Bonn under its new principal conductor Dirk Kaftan has set itself the task of performing Beethovens incidental music. The magnificent Matthias Brandt collaborated with the dramaturge Tilman Böttcher on this new version of the drama and renders his part with moving intensity.

The Beethoven Orchestra Bonn and the pianist Claudius Tanski present a collection celebrating the 200th anniversary of the birth of Liszt. Works include the Overture to Goethe’s Torquato Tasso and Totenanz. An orchestration of La lugubre gondola by John Adams is a finely nuanced extra.

It seems as though the majority of rockers circa the early 21st century have become to be too fascinated and mesmerized by modern day technology, sounds, and production. In other words…it sounds like it’s getting further and further away the sound of a band playing together live – all together in the same room. Thankfully, we can always count on the lads in Radio Moscow to deliver real vintage rock sounds – as heard throughout their performance at the Crossroads Festival, which is now officially released as the CD/DVD, “Crossroads Festival 2015.”