02/04/2004

Richard Strauss? No thanks

I rarely hear the work of Richard Strauss, the German composer who died after the Second World War (not to be confused with his 19thC Austrian namesake, Johann, most famous for his waltzes).

But last week, over two days, I had my fill - enough Strauss, R to last a lifetime. The exquisite Royal Festival Hall recital by soprano Renee Fleming (reviewed below) had only one weak passage, Strauss's Mondscheinmusik, from his opera, Capriccio. What a tedious little number.

So I looked forward to the following evening's live broadcast from the Met with unusually strong interest: by coincidence, it was Salome, another Strauss opera. Would it wipe away the memory of the RFH piece?

Naah. Tedium on stilts. First time I've turned off a Met broadcast after fifteen minutes.

Richard Strauss: not a musician for grown-ups.

Gerry Smith

[Previous entry: "Mozart: pure genius"]

[Next entry: "Bob Dylan latest: London date, Reissues discounted, and live '64 on CD, '66 on DVD"]

[Latest Daily Update]

Search entries:

Copyright © Music for Grown-Ups Ltd. 2005
The words Music for Grown-Ups^® and the logo design constitute a registered trademark of Music for Grown-Ups Ltd.

www.musicforgrownups.co.uk
Email: info@musicforgrownups.co.uk

[Latest Update]

[Archives]

[Previous entry: "Mozart: pure genius"]

[Next entry: "Bob Dylan latest: London date, Reissues discounted, and live '64 on CD, '66 on DVD"]

Top | Back

Site design by watson press website design & authoring