In 1984, Herbert von Karajan and the Berliner Philharmoniker presented an unusual concert program of two contrasting yet complimentary works by Richard Strauss: the early symphonic poem Death and Transfiguration and the mature masterpiece Metamorphoses. Stretching the limits of Romanticism, Death and Transfiguration depicts the final moments of a sick man who reflects back on his life before his death. In the abstract musical exploration Metamorphoses, the composer draws inspiration from previous generations’ compositional approaches to push musical limits, taking counterpoint to new heights with this piece written in 23 independent sections. With their signature sonic intensity, the famed Austrian conductor and the Berliner Philharmoniker give a truly captivating performance.
Also sprach Zarathustra
In 1968, 2001: A Space Odyssey’s unforgettable opening scene made Richard Strauss’s symphonic poem Also sprach Zarathustra (“Thus spoke Zarathustra”) one of the best-known pieces of classical music ever. Filmmaker Stanley Kubrick chose the recording of Karajan with the Wiener Philharmoniker, but this performance from 1987—part of the 750th anniversary celebration of Berlin’s founding—features Karajan’s other preferred artistic partner, the Berliner Philharmoniker. Monumental and lyric, the magnificent symphonic poem pays tribute to Nietzsche’s eponymous work that explores human nature and existence.
Don Quixote
Enter the extravagant universe of Cervantes’s Don Quixote in Richard Strauss’s symphonic poem performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker under the direction of Herbert von Karajan, legendary personality of the 20th-century European musical scene. Strauss gives musical life to some of the novel’s most famous episodes, including the battle with the sheep, the windmills, and the encounter with Dulcinea. Having already recorded the work with Pierre Fournier and Rostropovich, in this version Karajan approaches an even greater level of perfection with the young cello virtuoso Antonio Meneses, winner of the 1982 Tchaikovsky Competition.
Ein Heldenleben
“It is entitled ‘A Hero’s Life,’ and while it has no funeral march, it does have lots of horns, horns being quite the thing to express heroism. Thanks to the healthy country air, my sketch has progressed well.” With these words Richard Strauss evoked the connections between his symphonic poem Ein Heldenleben and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 “Eroica”. A great connoisseur of Strauss’s oeuvre, Herbert von Karajan tackled the piece in 1985 as part of a series including Don Quixote, Thus spoke Zarathustra, and Death and Transfiguration. The Austrian maestro’s authority and mastery express themselves with éclat in this performance featuring his trusted artistic collaborators, the musicians of the Berliner Philharmoniker.
Eine Alpensinfonie
Richard Strauss’s Alpine Symphony is closely connected with the Berliner Philharmoniker and its famous artistic director, the recording-technology-afficianado Herbert von Karajan. In 1981, their version of Strauss’s symphonic poem became one of the first works ever recorded on CD, and was then filmed two years later by Karajan’s production company Telemondial. Particularly remarkable for its rich orchestration, the Alpine Symphony is one of Strauss’s most ambitious compositions, and describes a day of mountain-climbing in which, as the writer Boris Vian put it, “more than anywhere else, the view and the heart become one”.
Der Rosenkavalier
When Strauss and Hofmannsthal wrote «Der Rosenkavalier» – setting it in an imaginary Rococo Vienna and yet closely linked to the decadent fin de siècle – they created a profound social comedy. It is not without melancholy that the Marschallin lets her young lover Octavian go when he falls head over heels with Sophie, who hails from Faninal’s bourgeois household. As voluptuous as Strauss’ score is, it contains tender moments of dream and melancholy. Director Lydia Steier stages Strauss’ opera according to an aesthetic concept by Austrian artist Gottfried Helnwein. Diana Damrau sings the Marschallin. Joana Mallwitz conducts the Orchester der Oper Zürich.