Richard Strauss: Eine Alpensinfonie; Don Juan

François-Xavier Roth

(CD - SWR Music #93335)

Review by Blair Sanderson

The fourth instalment in François-Xavier Roth's survey of the tone poems of Richard Strauss presents the two masterpieces that bookend his contributions to the genre, the youthful and vigorous Don Juan (1888) and the expansive Eine Alpensinfonie (1915). Roth leads the SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg in robust and fully Romantic interpretations that may surprise listeners who are more familiar with his historically informed performances with the period instruments ensemble Les Siècles. Here, he relies on a large modern orchestra playing with rich sonorities and powerful dynamics, and while a big sound is what one wants in Strauss, the parts are finely detailed and carefully balanced, and the textures are clear and cleanly separated. This is immediately apparent in the brilliant Don Juan, a true showpiece for orchestra, though the denser textures and heavier timbres of Eine Alpensinfonie are also carefully handled in Roth's imposing reading.

Track Listing

Title/Composer Performer Time Stream
Eine Alpensinfonie
1 François-Xavier Roth 03:26 Amazon
2 François-Xavier Roth 01:24 Amazon
3 François-Xavier Roth 02:10 Amazon
4 François-Xavier Roth 05:11 Amazon
5 François-Xavier Roth 00:46 Amazon
6 François-Xavier Roth 00:14 Amazon
7 François-Xavier Roth 00:45 Amazon
8 François-Xavier Roth 00:56 Amazon
9 François-Xavier Roth 02:05 Amazon
10 François-Xavier Roth 01:26 Amazon
11 François-Xavier Roth 01:00 Amazon
12 François-Xavier Roth 01:20 Amazon
13 François-Xavier Roth 04:06 Amazon
14 François-Xavier Roth 03:40 Amazon
15 François-Xavier Roth 00:20 Amazon
16 François-Xavier Roth 01:02 Amazon
17 François-Xavier Roth 02:14 Amazon
18 François-Xavier Roth 03:07 Amazon
19 François-Xavier Roth 03:31 Amazon
20 François-Xavier Roth 02:25 Amazon
21 François-Xavier Roth 06:44 Amazon
22 François-Xavier Roth 02:27 Amazon
23 François-Xavier Roth 16:45 Amazon
blue highlight denotes track pick