Rudolf Kempe - R. Strauss: Eine Alpensinfonie - Import 2 CD

Credits:

Rudolf Kempe

Description:

Rare Recordings by Kempe & the Munich Philharmonic! The world premiere release of precious, previously unreleased recordings from the golden age that maestro Kempe built with the Munich Philharmonic as its music director Rudolf Kempe was one of the most outstanding German conductors of the 20th century. The core of his artistic career was the Austro-German repertoire, and his interpretations of Richard Strauss’s works, in particular, earned him widespread acclaim. Kempe’s musical career began as a young oboist with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra. During that time, he even had the opportunity to perform under Strauss’s own baton. He subsequently gained experience with the following prestigious orchestras and opera houses (the Dresden State Opera, the Bavarian State Opera, the Royal Philharmonic, and the Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra), solidifying his standing. In 1967, Kempe was appointed General Music Director of the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, a position he held for the rest of his life. The Munich Philharmonic, too, is an orchestra with a long tradition of performing the works of R. Strauss, and its connection with Kempe was truly fateful. Richard Strauss’s music is known for its very large instrumental ensemble and thick layers of sound (which can easily become muddled if too dense). Kempe’s performances were characterized by a well-organized sound, and his sense of balance among the wind instruments was genius. He organized the complex textures, ensuring that it was always clear which instrument was playing the melody. Rather than letting the brass explode, he blended them into the overall sound, so that Strauss’s characteristic sensual timbre never became vulgar but rose with a clear, transparent quality. There is almost no excessive display of emotion or exaggerated fluctuations in tempo. Even in dramatic passages, he never lost his composure, respecting the music’s inherent flow. As a result, this lends the work a Germanic gravitas and a natural, dignified composure. His handling of delicate phrases possesses a unique tenderness, bringing out the deeply human side of R. Strauss. The recordings included here are official recordings from the Munich Philharmonic’s archives, recorded by Bayerischer Rundfunk. As with the Celibidache recordings on the Munich Philharmonic label, the remastering was handled by Johannes Müller and the mastering by Christoph Stichel. The “Alpine Symphony” was recorded three months before the legendary Dresden recording, “Die Bürgerlichen Adligen” was recorded a year and a half later, and “Metamorphosen” is a live recording from a year and a half prior; all are outstanding performances featuring Kempe’s lively and flexible musical interpretation. Unlike the rich sound quality of Dresden’s Lukaskirche, the Hercules Hall has a relatively dead acoustic environment, which has the characteristic of making the contours of each instrument stand out clearly. Kempe seems to have turned the characteristics of the Hercules Hall to his advantage, relying on the density of the sound rather than overpowering it with sheer volume. Even at fortissimo, the sound remains clear, maintaining a “vertical transparency” where the range—from the lowest bass line to the highest flute—is always heard as a vertical line. Warner Music Japan