Strauss: Tod und Verklärung; Hindemith: Mathis der Maler

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Jascha Horenstein recorded this interpretation of the symphony Mathis der Maler less than a year before he died. It is a strong and sensitively shaped reading, one that pays considerable attention to detail without losing a feeling of spontaneity. The conductor handles the awkwardly structured finale very effectively, and the performance as a whole is well played. The recording is somewhat boomy in the bass, but naturally balanced and warm. --Ted Libbey

Tracks:

Death And Transfiguration
I. Angelic Concert
II. Entombment
III. The Temptation Of St. Anthony

Amazon.com

Jascha Horenstein recorded this interpretation of the symphony Mathis der Maler less than a year before he died. It is a strong and sensitively shaped reading, one that pays considerable attention to detail without losing a feeling of spontaneity. The conductor handles the awkwardly structured finale very effectively, and the performance as a whole is well played. The recording is somewhat boomy in the bass, but naturally balanced and warm. --Ted Libbey

Customer Reviews:

A must-listen for both the Strauss and Hindemith.......2007-02-27

Both reviews below are unfair (or irrelevant, since the first reviewer demotes the Strauss becasue he doesn't care for the piece). If there's a single CD that could prove to a newcomer that Jascha Horenstein was a great conductor, this is it. His interpretations of Death and Transfiguration and Mathis der Maler can be praised in the same breath as being at the very top of competitive versions--they are revelatory in their total conviciton and superb, imaginative musicianship. In addition, Chandos offers these recordings in best sound, with great playing from the LSO. The Hindemith in particular is well nigh definitive. Highly reccomended.

But I must offer a postscript. Horenstein was shamefully neglected for decades and only emerged as an acknowledged master in his final decade--he died in 1973. Why he was so overlooked seems puzzling until you listen to the bulk of his recordings, which are with average-to-dismal provincial orhestras, and he showed no ability to make them play better. I have no idea why he tolerated such abysmal execution--it's a trait he had in common with another great, Dmitri Mitropoulos, but to an even more distressing degree. Even now, as British critics fall over themselves praising a batch of BBC Legends recordings of Mahler and Bruckner, the objective listener hears horrendous mistakes and painfully bad exectuion. What this means is that Horenstein recordings where everything goes right are a relative rarity, making this Chandos release even more of a treasure.

Skip the Strauss, Treasure the Hindemith.......2002-04-25

This is a difficult to rate CD. I no longer particularly care for the Strauss work so I'm not going to discuss it except to say the sound quality is a major disappointment. So, even Strauss fans should probably avoid listening to this performance.

What makes this CD special is what follows the Strauss, my all-time favorite interpretation of the Mathis der Mahler, a deeply moving 20th Century masterpiece, IMHO. Where Horenstein excels over all other interpretations I have heard is in the 1st movement, the Concert of Angels. He takes a faster tempo and this works much better for me. The playing of the LSO is very good. The recording is at least satisfactory, but nowhere close to state of the art for this period.

BTW, if you are ever in Colmar, France definitely see the Grunewald Isenheim Alterpiece paintings.

True to Hindemith's vision.......1999-06-18

This is the version of 'Mathis' that I grew up with. Horenstein's interpretation is fairly perfect in my opinion, vastly superior to Karajan's dirge-like exercise, particularly in the area of tempi. It's a pity the mastering on this disk isn't better; inner detail is frequently lacking and the stereo placement seems rather narrow. But still, it's all tied together by Horenstein's remarkable vision. I don't feel as well-equipped to review the Strauss work as I simply don't know it as well. On the classic LP of this pairing, the Hindemith was the featured work!

Track Listings:

Track Listings

track listings

Track Listings

Lifesize [Explicit Lyrics]

Operisti

Moving to the Country

Live in London [Import]

Seasons Change

Rhythm of the Rain [Import]

Sea Shells

Sergei Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos Nos. 3 & 4

ShapeShifting

Summertime

Songs from the Earth

Otras Canciones [Import]

Reggaeton Jamz

One More Last Time

Dansere