Strauss Digital

Richard Strauss’s single-act ballet Josephs Legende emerged in 1914 just as the world’s attention was turning to war. But with its exotic instrumental colouring and the composer’s intent to rejuvenate dance into a ‘purely inspirational form’ dedicated to ‘absolute beauty’, it reveals a great ballet composer and demonstrates his orchestral mastery to the full. Josephs Legende is a parable about struggles between good and evil based on the familiar Old Testament story of the slave boy Joseph. The work’s dramatic tale is set with alluring sensuality expressed through Strauss’s gift for soaring themes. Not many associate Richard Strauss with the world of ballet, and Josephs Legende is one of his less well-known orchestral scores. There are a few recordings around, and our recording of the orchestral suite with the Buffalo Philharmonic conducted by JoAnn Falletta (8.572041), was considered ‘utterly glorious’ in MusicWeb International, but this work has long been overshadowed by the popularity of Strauss’s other stage and orchestral pieces.