Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra & Debussy: Jeux

Recording of the Week

Inspired by Friedrich Nietzsche's philosophical novel of the same name, Richard Strauss's mammoth tone poem, Also Sprach Zarathustra, is a virtuosic test for any orchestra, one which is passed with flying colours in a sumptuous new recording from the London Symphony Orchestra under Principal Guest Conductor François-Xavier Roth.

Roth brings great clarity even in the densest music. Not only do the LSO players flawlessly jump up to the stratosphere, but they do so with an elegance that is extremely impressive.

Speaking of surging to the top of an instrument's range, it's not only the strings who have their turn in the spotlight: there's a moment in the following passage, "Der Genesende" (The Convalescent) that demands nerves of steel from the first trumpet, with an octave leap up to a top C coming out of little more than delicately dancing flutes and piccolos. It's fearlessly done, with an equally impressive diminuendo as the trumpet subsequently sits on that high note.

The principal jewel of this recording must be the opulence of the strings, for which there can be no better example than the conclusion to "Von den Hinterweltlern" (Of the Backworldsmen), where, doubled by the organ, they gradually build in intensity to reach the most glorious of climaxes. Similarly demonstrative of their ravishing tone is the closing part of the piece: a beauteous episode of repose where, even at a relatively quiet dynamic, the LSO violins offer a luxuriant sound set against a warm bed of horns, followed by an exquisitely expressive pair of clarinets.

The dynamic gradations of the work’s famous opening are similarly expertly judged by Roth, with the three solemn intonations by the trumpets performed piano, mezzo piano, and forte as marked. These are just a few examples of something evident throughout, where Roth ensures that much of the woodwind and string detail can be heard without sacrificing the power of the mighty brass during the work’s most intense moments.

Another test of virtuosity is Debussy’s 1913 ballet, Jeux, which with its constantly-changing tempo markings needs enormous control from conductor and orchestra alike. Sitting alongside the Strauss it confirms the brilliance and flexibility of this magnificent orchestra.