Richard Strauss - Horn Concertos; Oboe Concerto; Duett-Concertino (Rudolf Kempe)

Information

Composer: Richard Strauss

• (01-03) Horn Concerto No. 1 in E flat major, Op. 11
• (04-06) Horn Concerto No. 2 in E flat major, TrV 283
• (07-09) Oboe Concerto in D major, TrV 292
• (10-12) Duett-Concertino for clarinet & bassoon in F major, TrV 293

Peter Damm, horn
Manfred Clement, oboe
Manfred Weise, clarinet
Wolfgang Liebscher, bassoon

Staatskapelle Dresden
Rudolf Kempe, conductor

Date: 1975
Label: EMI

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Review

Hitherto I have recommended the splendid Michael Thompson recordings of the Richard Strauss horn concertos and indeed those wanting a modern digital recording of them will not be disappointed with his BBC disc. Dennis Brain's EMI disc is let down by the rather meagre orchestral sound, dehydrated in the digital remastering. But now comes a most attractive anthology at mid-price, more generous than any of the previous offerings and it brings performances conducted by one of the greatest Strauss conductors of our time, Rudolf Kempe.

The soloist in the works for horn is Peter Damm who has already shown his mettle and musicianship in a fine set of the Mozart concertos (reviewed last month). For my ears the slight drawback to that disc was his assumption of a degree of vibrato and that may be a snag here for some. But for late romanticism, judicious vibrato can be fully acceptable, and if you can accept it in Richard Strauss, make no mistake about it, these are wonderful performances. The gloriously rich opening cantilena of the First Concerto is made the more attractive by the degree of subtlety achieved by soloist and the benign Kempe in both the ebb and flow of the melodic line, and in the variation of dynamics, here and throughout both concertos. The following Andante opens gently and tenderly, yet the big striding theme at the centre is superbly resonant and bold. In both outer movements one takes pleasure in Damm's light, deftly pointed articulation, yet there is no lack of genial vigour and the coda of the finale, affectionately prepared by Kempe, is exuberantly fleet.

The Second Concerto is full of romantic feeling, with an autumnal sense of nostalgia in the slow movement (gorgeous orchestral playing) while Damm's spiccato treatment of the final rondo is a joy. The Oboe Concerto is also a very fine performance. Manfred Clement's creamy white timbre may not appeal to all ears (it is more open than Holliger's tone, for instance) but in the songful slow movement (again helped by lovely playing from the great Dresden orchestra) he is at his finest and the easy flexibility of the outer allegros gives much pleasure. The Duett-Concertino has always been a favourite of mine and here the two soloists are ideally matched, with clarinet and bassoon tone that can only be described as succulent. The bassoon solo in the Andante is utterly beguiling and the interplay of textures (with strings mixed in with the woodwind colours) in the gay finale achieves a jocular finesse that is quite irresistible.

The recordings were made in the resonant glow of the Lukaskirche, Dresden and the basic richness of the sound, with its agreeable ambient warmth, is only slightly affected by the digital remastering at fortissimo level, where the effect is drier than on the original LPs; elsewhere the improvement in focus is most believable. Altogether there is much to enchant the ear and I strongly recommend this reissue to all Straussians. Listen to the dancing violins intertwined with the soloists in the Rondo of the Duett-Concertino to realize that this is very distinguished music-making.

-- Ivan March, Gramophone

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Richard Strauss (11 June 1864 – 8 September 1949) was a leading German composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras. He is known for his operas, lieder, tone poems and other orchestral works. Strauss was also a prominent conductor throughout Germany and Austria, enjoying quasi-celebrity status as his compositions became standards of orchestral and operatic repertoire. Strauss made a large number of recordings, both of his own music as well as music by German and Austrian composers. Along with Gustav Mahler, Strauss represents the late flowering of German Romanticism after Richard Wagner.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Strauss

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Rudolf Kempe (14 June 1910 - 12 May 1976) was a German conductor. Kempe was born in Dresden and studied at the Dresden State Opera School. Kempe directed the Dresden Opera and the Staatskapelle Dresden from 1949 to 1952, and maintained a relationship with them for the rest of his life. Kempe was associated with the Royal Philharmonic (RPO) from 1955, became its Associate Conductor (1960), Principal Conductor (1961-1962) and Artistic Director (1963-1975). From 1965 to 1972 Kempe worked with Tonhalle Orchester Zurich, and from 1967 to his death conducted the Munich Philharmonic.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolf_Kempe

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