Strauss, R: - Also sprach Zarathustra; Ein Heldenleben; Metamorphosen, etc. – San Francisco Symphony; Herbert Blomstedt
Richard Strauss: Also sprach Zarathustra; Ein Heldenleben; Don Juan; Rosenkavalier Waltzes; Metamorphosen –
San Francisco Symphony; Gewandhausorchester ; Herbert Blomstedt
Classical | 2 CDs | EAC Rip | 776 MB (3% recovery) | Complete scans | FLAC +LOG+CUE Publisher: Decca | Recorded: 1990, 1994, 1998, 2005 | Published: 2012
Strauss, R: - Also sprach Zarathustra; Ein Heldenleben; Metamorphosen, etc. – San Francisco Symphony; Herbert Blomstedt
This recording was released by Decca in 1998, a time in which the classical industry was at the height of its suicidal business practice of incessantly issuing new recordings of redundant repertoire and then quickly cutting them out. It’s no wonder then that Herbert Blomstedt’s San Francisco Symphony Strauss recordings were all but forgotten. But that is no indication of the quality of the music-making, for these are very fine performances.
Blomstedt’s singular view of Also sprach Zarathustra reflects his deep knowledge of and experience with the piece (he previously recorded it with the Staatskapelle Dresden). He’s much more concerned with musical line than with splashy effects, rounding off phrases and seamlessly dovetailing the various sections. The big climaxes arise organically rather than as “showstoppers”, but they are no less striking for that.
The San Francisco Symphony plays masterfully, its characteristic warm sound (especially in the strings) allied with a virtuoso polish that nonetheless conveys a sense of discovery. Decca’s high fidelity recording captures the full range of the orchestra from the bright piccolo to the deep organ pedal tones. In Death and Transfiguration Blomstedt deftly manages the opening’s journey from tranquility to foreboding to terror. The dramatic passages are full of fire, yet again Blomstedt is chiefly concerned with line. Blomstedt’s rollicking Till Eulenspiegel demonstrates the conductor’s lightheartedness and sense of comedic timing, as well as the orchestra’s brilliance–the woodwinds sound especially vibrant and colorful here.
Of course, these performances are up against some pretty stiff competition from classic recordings by Reiner, Szell, and Kempe, but Blomstedt’s disc (with its excellent sound) stands out among modern versions–a choice recording.
Herbert Blomstedt’s Ein Heldenleben is one of the most beautifully rendered performances on disc. There’s buoyant energy that enlivens the music from the first note to the last, and not just in the more bombastic sections–though these, especially the Hero Goes to War, are particularly exciting. But listen also to the quiet passage near the beginning of The Hero’s Works of Peace, and hear how the divided low string chords breathe with an engaging inner life. This is just one example of the San Francisco Symphony’s marvelous playing–alert and virtuosic in all sections. For his part, Blomstedt never lets the tension sag, even in Strauss’ long, slow ending–a real downer in some performances. Decca’s wide-ranging recording presents a full-scale sonic “picture” of the performance with remarkable clarity and warmth.
Blomstedt’s Metamorphosen is remarkable for the way it reveals the individual string lines in this highly contrapuntal score, but his slowish tempos (the performance lasts more than 28 minutes) make the music sound too much like an endurance test. That is, except for the fast central passage, where the conductor suddenly becomes animated. However, Blomstedt’s deliberation is wholly appropriate for the closing bars, where the basses intone Beethoven’s Eroica Funeral March. Again, the recording is excellent. It’s an unusual if apt coupling (both works intertwine Strauss’ musical and personal life), and certainly a recording well worth having. - Review by: Victor Carr Jr, www.classicstoday.com
Exact Audio Copy V1.0 beta 1 from 15. November 2010
EAC extraction logfile from 10. March 2013, 18:49
Herbert Blomstedt; San Francisco Symphony Orchestra / Richard Strauss: Orchestral Works (Disc 1)
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Additional command line options : -V -8 -T "artist=%a" -T "title=%t" -T "album=%g" -T "date=%y" -T "tracknumber=%n" -T "genre=%m" %s
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EAC extraction logfile from 10. March 2013, 18:49
Herbert Blomstedt; San Francisco Symphony Orchestra / Richard Strauss: Orchestral Works (Disc 1)
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Additional command line options : -V -8 -T "artist=%a" -T "title=%t" -T "album=%g" -T "date=%y" -T "tracknumber=%n" -T "genre=%m" %s
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4 | 7:22.42 | 1:55.13 | 33192 | 41829
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Copy CRC EB5303D0
Copy OK
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==== Log checksum 5184D8599C49450320EEA719684CA04989D7404768B5D74D8CB1981859F3DBAD ====
Exact Audio Copy V1.0 beta 1 from 15. November 2010
EAC extraction logfile from 11. March 2013, 9:06
Herbert Blomstedt; San Francisco Symphony Orchestra; Gewandhausorchester Leipzig / Richard Strauss: Orchestral Works (Disc 2)
Used drive : ASUS DRW-1814BL Adapter: 2 ID: 0
Read mode : Secure
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Null samples used in CRC calculations : Yes
Used interface : Native Win32 interface for Win NT & 2000
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Additional command line options : -V -8 -T "artist=%a" -T "title=%t" -T "album=%g" -T "date=%y" -T "tracknumber=%n" -T "genre=%m" %s
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Exact Audio Copy V1.0 beta 1 from 15. November 2010
EAC extraction logfile from 11. March 2013, 9:26
Herbert Blomstedt; San Francisco Symphony Orchestra; Gewandhausorchester Leipzig / Richard Strauss: Orchestral Works (Disc 2)
Used drive : ASUS DRW-1814BL Adapter: 2 ID: 0
Read mode : Secure
Utilize accurate stream : Yes
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Null samples used in CRC calculations : Yes
Used interface : Native Win32 interface for Win NT & 2000
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Command line compressor : C:\Program Files\Exact Audio Copy\FLAC\FLAC.EXE
Additional command line options : -V -8 -T "artist=%a" -T "title=%t" -T "album=%g" -T "date=%y" -T "tracknumber=%n" -T "genre=%m" %s
TOC of the extracted CD
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EAC extraction logfile from 11. March 2013, 9:06
Herbert Blomstedt; San Francisco Symphony Orchestra; Gewandhausorchester Leipzig / Richard Strauss: Orchestral Works (Disc 2)
Used drive : ASUS DRW-1814BL Adapter: 2 ID: 0
Read mode : Secure
Utilize accurate stream : Yes
Defeat audio cache : Yes
Make use of C2 pointers : No
Read offset correction : 6
Overread into Lead-In and Lead-Out : No
Fill up missing offset samples with silence : Yes
Delete leading and trailing silent blocks : No
Null samples used in CRC calculations : Yes
Used interface : Native Win32 interface for Win NT & 2000
Used output format : User Defined Encoder
Selected bitrate : 320 kBit/s
Quality : High
Add ID3 tag : No
Command line compressor : C:\Program Files\Exact Audio Copy\FLAC\FLAC.EXE
Additional command line options : -V -8 -T "artist=%a" -T "title=%t" -T "album=%g" -T "date=%y" -T "tracknumber=%n" -T "genre=%m" %s
TOC of the extracted CD
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==== Log checksum 6A47FAEE2E6CD0B0FBE16C9ED4E1A95988902E19E8E427D03F7BE3F20B77FB77 ====
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Exact Audio Copy V1.0 beta 1 from 15. November 2010
EAC extraction logfile from 11. March 2013, 9:26
Herbert Blomstedt; San Francisco Symphony Orchestra; Gewandhausorchester Leipzig / Richard Strauss: Orchestral Works (Disc 2)
Used drive : ASUS DRW-1814BL Adapter: 2 ID: 0
Read mode : Secure
Utilize accurate stream : Yes
Defeat audio cache : Yes
Make use of C2 pointers : No
Read offset correction : 6
Overread into Lead-In and Lead-Out : No
Fill up missing offset samples with silence : Yes
Delete leading and trailing silent blocks : No
Null samples used in CRC calculations : Yes
Used interface : Native Win32 interface for Win NT & 2000
Used output format : User Defined Encoder
Selected bitrate : 320 kBit/s
Quality : High
Add ID3 tag : No
Command line compressor : C:\Program Files\Exact Audio Copy\FLAC\FLAC.EXE
Additional command line options : -V -8 -T "artist=%a" -T "title=%t" -T "album=%g" -T "date=%y" -T "tracknumber=%n" -T "genre=%m" %s
TOC of the extracted CD
Track | Start | Length | Start sector | End sector
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3 | 30:34.66 | 11:52.26 | 137616 | 191041
4 | 42:27.17 | 8:06.23 | 191042 | 227514
5 | 50:33.40 | 28:54.26 | 227515 | 357590
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Peak level 99.4 %
Extraction speed 3.3 X
Range quality 99.9 %
Test CRC 897D7BCE
Copy CRC 5AB4ADBF
Copy OK
No errors occurred
AccurateRip summary
Track 1 not present in database
Track 2 not present in database
Track 3 not present in database
Track 4 not present in database
Track 5 not present in database
None of the tracks are present in the AccurateRip database
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==== Log checksum CA18430881F51F079500402474BB23365BB40839EF5F0851EF94A99E2A442B3C ====
On this CDs:
CD1
01-09. Also Sprach Zarathustra op.30; Tondichtung frei nach Nietsche
10-15. Ein Heldenleben op. 40; Tondichtung für grosses Orchester
CD2
01. Don Juan op. 20, Tondichtung für grosses Orchester (nach Nikolaus Lenau)
02. Rosenkavalier - Erste Walzer Folge
03. Sextet aus Capriccio, op. 85
04. Rosenkavalier - Zewite Walzer Folge
05. Metamorphosen, AV142 - Studie für 23 Solostreicher
San Francisco Symphony Orchestra;
Gewandhausorchester Leipzig (CD2 – 2,3,4)
Herbert Blomstedt
CD1
01-09. Also Sprach Zarathustra op.30; Tondichtung frei nach Nietsche
10-15. Ein Heldenleben op. 40; Tondichtung für grosses Orchester
CD2
01. Don Juan op. 20, Tondichtung für grosses Orchester (nach Nikolaus Lenau)
02. Rosenkavalier - Erste Walzer Folge
03. Sextet aus Capriccio, op. 85
04. Rosenkavalier - Zewite Walzer Folge
05. Metamorphosen, AV142 - Studie für 23 Solostreicher
San Francisco Symphony Orchestra;
Gewandhausorchester Leipzig (CD2 – 2,3,4)
Herbert Blomstedt