Open Web Player
You may be checking reviews to decide whether the sound quality of this remastered recording from 1941 is acceptable, since Strauss' conducting of Don Quixote is of considerable interest. The sound is far better than acceptable: very clear, with essentially perfect separation of instrumental textures with little sense of compression. The recording's transient response provides impressive clarity to the percussion and harps. Points that were particularly striking include: the clarity and focus of the peculiar brass and wind sounds near the end of Variation 2; the gutsy string tone at the beginning of Variation 4; and the beautiful cello tone in the long passages at the start of Variation 5. This is just to indicate that it is really a pleasure to simply listen to this performance, though occasionally there do seem to be some tonal lapses in the Bavarian State Orchestra.
But, what most impressed me was the performance. I know it sounds silly to say that Strauss really knew his score, but in addition he must have perfectly communicated this to the orchestra. I search in my memory for a more convincing and moving performance, and I can't recall one, not even the early Ormandy recording on Columbia, which was (I think) my introduction to this work.
Also on the disc is a performance of the Euryanthe overture recorded with the Berlin Philharmonic in 1928. Its sound is not up to the 1941 recording, but it is nonetheless impressive. It never fails to amaze me that I can listen with pleasure to a performance that took place 84 years ago. The Beethoven 5th (from 1926, with the least good sound) is interesting, but `willful' in my opinion; though perhaps I've just been ruined by more recent recordings.
