Richard Strauss: Don Juan op. 20

Orchestra of the University of Music FRANZ LISZT Weimar
Conductor: Nicolás Pasquet

The young Richard Strauss, one of Franz Liszt's successors as Weimar court conductor, also followed in Liszt's compositional footsteps with his tone poem "Don Juan", based on Nikolaus Lenau's verse drama and premiered in 1889. In the opening motif, the libidinousness of the title character forms the starting point for the entire tragedy of the musical drama. A soaring theme that rises above everything with ease characterises Don Juan as a narcissistic lover. Impressive sound paintings, repeatedly interrupted by moments of disillusionment, trace different loves: from a youthful infatuation to a great romantic love scene in a rush of sound à la "Tristan and Isolde" to a lustful cantilena in the low strings, followed by sighs of delight from the flute - culminating in a seemingly perfect sensuality of subsequent tenderness between oboe and cellos.

FRANZ LISZT University of Music Weimar:

Concert recording from 23 June 2022 in the Weimarhalle in Weimar

[darrelljones]

An engaging and spirited account of this wonderful but deceptively difficult tone poem - all credit to the conductor and his talented players.

[glenysrogers]

Wonderful wonderful you can here what is happening

[gemshornrick]

One of a very small number of earlier Strauss works that I bother listening to. Death & Transfiguration is another. To me the tone poems including "Till" are largely collections of orchestration stunts and lots of noise. I only care for late works such as the Oboe Concerto, the Metamorphosen, the Four Last Songs, etc. These came after he'd stopped being important to the Nazis.