Strauss, Liszt, Korngold, Busoni & Schreker: Orchestral Works

Album review

This hybrid SACD by Kazuki Yamada and the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande is a sonic extravaganza, presenting vibrant dance music in glorious sound and demonstrating why the post-Romantic era produced some of the most sumptuous orchestral waltzes ever composed. With representative selections by Richard Strauss, Franz Liszt, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Ferruccio Busoni, and Franz Schreker, the program abounds with lavish colors, daring harmonies, exciting displays of technique, intensely passionate expressions, and above all, powerful dance rhythms. Yamada has a great feeling for this opulent style, and he inspires the orchestra to play with full sonorities, athletic energy, crisp accentuation, and clear details, all of which contribute to the excitement of the performances. Strauss' Dance of the Seven Veils from Salome and the first sequence of waltzes from Der Rosenkavalier are perhaps the most famous selections, along with Liszt's Mephisto Waltz No. 1, though the accessibility and richness of Korngold's Straussiana, Busoni's Tanzwalzer, and Schreker's Ein Tanzspiel make them instantly appealing. Perhaps best of all is PentaTone's extraordinary multichannel recording, which gives the orchestra marvelous depth and a spaciousness that enhances the natural resonance.

© TiVo