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Richard Strauss's An Alpine Symphony with Mark Simpson and Andrew McGregor

Mark Simpson chooses his favourite recording of Richard Strauss's epic An Alpine Symphony, plus a new box set showcasing the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and Nikolaus Harnoncourt.

9.30 Building a Library
Mark Simpson compares recordings of Richard Strauss's Eine Alpensinfonie and chooses his favourite.

The epic Alpine Symphony is Strauss's vivid evocation of the thrills and spills of a day out in his beloved Bavarian Alps, including dangerous moments and a glacier on the way up to a spectacular view from the summit. On the way down there's a violent thunderstorm and at the end, as the sun sets and night falls, the deep, emotional satisfaction of having completed an arduous and exhausting journey. The 1915 tone poem thrillingly tests an orchestra, at once collectively, its individual sections and its principal players. And it also tests a conductor who has to convincingly marshal a score calling for 130-plus musicians including 34 brass players (with 12 offstage horns) and a percussion section stocked with, among other things, wind machine, thunder machine and cowbells. Spare a thought, too, for the recording engineers...

10.40
Sarah Devonald has been listening to a box set of newly released live radio recordings made in the late 90s and early 2000s by the Chamber Orchestra of Europe conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncourt, including symphonies by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven and Brahms.

11.20
Record of the Week
Andrew recommends an outstanding new release.

2 hours, 47 minutes

Music Played

  • Georg Philipp Telemann

    Sinfonia in D Major for 2 Horns, Strings and Continuo: V. Allegro assai

    Orchestra: Freiburg Baroque Orchestra. Director: Gottfried von der Goltz.
    • Telemann, Platti, Vivaldi & Geminiani: Concerti All'arrabbiata.
    • Aparte.
    • 5.
  • Camille Saint鈥怱a毛ns

    Introduction & Rondo capriccioso, Op. 28

    Performer: Jinjoo Cho. Ensemble: Ensemble Appassionato. Conductor: Mathieu Herzog.
    • Saint-Saens: Works For Violin & Orchestra.
    • Naive.
    • 1.
  • Franz Liszt

    Harmonies po茅tiques et religieuses III, S. 173: No. 2, Ave Maria

    • Liszt: Harmonies po茅tiques et religieuses III, S. 173.
    • PENTATONE.
    • 2.
  • Ib Glindemann

    Trumpet Concerto: I. Allegro con brio

    Conductor: Giordano Bellincampi. Ensemble: Odense Symfoniorkester.
    • Ib Glindemann: Concertos.
    • Dacapo.
    • 1.
  • Georg Philipp Telemann

    Sinfonia in G Major "Grillen-Symphonie", TWV 50:1: I. Etwas lebhaft

    Orchestra: Freiburg Baroque Orchestra. Director: Gottfried von der Goltz.
    • Telemann, Platti, Vivaldi & Geminiani: Concerti All'arrabbiata.
    • Aparte.
    • 13.
  • Antonio Vivaldi

    Violin Concerto in D major, RV 213: III. Allegro - Cadenza

    Performer: Bojan 膶i膷i膰. Ensemble: The Illyria Consort.
    • Pyrotechnia: Fire & Fury from 18th-Century Italy.
    • Delphian.
    • 6.
  • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

    Warnung 'Manner suchen stehts zu naschen', K433

    Performer: Leopold Hager. Singer: Rafael Fingerlos.
    • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Mozart Made in Salzburg.
    • Solo Musica.
    • 2.
  • Paul Hindemith

    Clarinet Concerto: III. Ruhig

    Performer: Sharon Kam. Orchestra: Frankfurt Radio Symphony. Conductor: Daniel Cohen.
    • Hindemith: Clarinet Concerto, Clarinet Quartet & Clarinet Sonata.
    • Orfeo.
    • 3.
  • George Frideric Handel

    Io t'abbraccio (from Rodelinda)

    Performer: Barnaby Smith. Ensemble: The Illyria Consort.
    • Barnaby Smith: Handel.
    • VOCES8 RECORDS.
    • 7.
  • Jonathan Nott

    Pelleas et Melisande (Symphonic Suite)

    Conductor: Jonathan Nott. Orchestra: L'orchestre de la Suisse Romande.
    • Debussy & Schoenberg: Pell茅as & M茅lisande.
    • PENTATONE.
    • 9.

Record Review


9.00am

Concerti All'arrabbiata 鈥 Music by Telemann, Platti, Vivaldi & Geminiani

Freiburger Barockorchester

Gottfried von der Goltz (conductor)听

Apart茅听 AP262听

Saint-Sa毛ns: Works For Violin & Orchestra

Jinjoo Cho (violin)听

Appasionato

Mathieu Herzog (conductor)听

Naive听 V7422

Liszt: Harmonies po茅tiques et religieuses

Saskia Giorgini (piano)

Pentatone听 PTC5186296

Ib Glindemann: Concertos

Per Morten Bye (trumpet)

Robert Homsted (trombone)

Odense Symphony Orchestra

Giordan Bellincampi (conductor)听

Dacapo听 6.220665听 (Hybrid SACD)听

9.30am 鈥 Building a Library 鈥 Mark Simpson on R. Strauss Alpine Symphony

听听听听听听听听听听听

Recommended Recording:听

Herbert von Karajan (conductor)听

Berliner Philharmoniker

DG听 E4742812听

Other recommendations:听

Mariss Jansons (conductor)听

Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks

BR Klassik听 900148听

Sir Georg Solti听

Symphonie-Orchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks

Decca听 4406182听



10.15am 鈥 New Releases

Pyrotechnia: Fire & Fury from 18th-Century Italy 鈥 Music by Locatelli, Tartini & Vivaldi

Bojan 膶i膷i膰 (violin)

The Illyria Consort

Delphian听 DCD34249听

Mozart Made in Salzburg

Rafael Fingerlos (baritone)

Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra听

Leopold Hager (conductor/piano)

Solo Musica SM 377

Hindemith: Clarinet Concerto, Clarinet Quartet & Clarinet Sonata

Sharon Kam (clarinet)

Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra

Daniel Cohen, Enrico Pace (piano)

Orfeo听 C210041听

Barnaby Smith: Handel

Barnaby Smith (countertenor / director)

Catriona McDermid & Mary Bevan (soprano)

Bojan 膶i膷i膰 (violin)

The Illyria Consort

Voces8 Records听 VCM136D听

10.40am听 听Sarah Devonald on Chamber Orchestra of Europe /Nickolaus Harnoncourt box set

Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms

Chamber Orchestra of Europe

Nikolaus Harnoncourt (conductor)听

ICA Classics听 ICAC5161听 (4 CDs)听

11.20am 鈥 Record of the Week

Debussy: Pell茅as et M茅lisande Suite

Orchestre de La Suisse Romande

Jonathan Nott听 (arranger /conductor)听

Pentatone听 PTC5186782听 (Hybrid SACD)听

Broadcast

  • Sat 13 Nov 2021 09:00

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