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Richard Strauss: Oboe Concerto; Macbeth; Cello Sonata
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An essential disc of some of Strauss's more rarely-heard works, including his delightful Oboe Concerto performed by Douglas Boyd and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, as well as the beautiful Cello Sonata. Separating these is the dramatic tone poem Macbeth as conducted by Norman Del Mar.The Oboe Concerto is fascinating for its use of soloist and small orchestra, uncommonly delicate forces for a composer who revelled in the lush sounds heard in Macbeth. Nonetheless, the Concerto has all the hallmarks of Strauss's mature style, from whimsical motifs that might have come from Till Eulenspiegel, to an Andante of autumnal and elegiac beauty, revealing Strauss at his most serenely retrospective. The work ends with a brilliant waltz-time coda, played with characteristic aplomb by the outstanding Chamber Orchestra of Europe.Using a similar form to his tone poem Don Juan, Strauss's Macbeth follows the psychological development of the play's characters, and especially the relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Full of drama and imbued with dark harmonies, this tone poem is given a brilliantly taut rendition by the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra under Norman Del Mar.Another rarity, the Cello Sonata is full of youthful exuberance and rhythmic versatility, with a passionate slow movement indebted to Beethoven and Schumann, yet intensely personal in its expression. The work is impeccably interpreted by Sophie Rolland and Marc-André Hamelin. Only $11.98 - Click here to buy now! |