The young Richard Strauss Photo: Public domain via Wikimedia Commons
Erica Challis points out the mastery of Strauss's wind writing.
His serenades for wind instruments and his concertos for horn and oboe are both the first compositions to attract public notice and they are among the last flowering of his creative life. Thus they form a pair of bookends to his career. In between those two points, Strauss poured out a wealth of music that secured him a reputation as one of the greatest orchestrators in history. His demanding and brilliant writing for winds is a major part of that reputation.
That is not to discount his amazing understanding of the human voice; but his writing for wind could be seen as an extension of that.
Richard himself did not play a wind instrument, but he was the son of the great horn player Franz Strauss, a virtuoso who inspired the respect and even the fear of those who worked with him.
Music Details:
STRAUSS: Alpine Symphony - Royal Liverpool Phil/ Gerald Schwarz (Avie AV 2071)
MOZART: Serenade No 10 in Bb K361, Gran Partita - Netherlands Wind Ensemble (NBE Live NBECD 017)
STRAUSS: Serenade in Eb for winds Op 7 - Ensemble Villa Musica (Dabringhaus & Grimm MDG 304 1173)
STRAUSS: Suite in Bb for winds Op 4 - Ensemble Villa Musica (Dabringhaus & Grimm MDG 304 1173)
STRAUSS: Horn Concerto No 1 in Eb - David Pyatt (horn), Britten Sinfonia/ Nicholas Cleobury (EMI CD EMX 2238)
STRAUSS: Suite from Der Rosenkavalier - Vienna Phil/ Andre Previn (DG 437 390)
STRAUSS: Moonlight music, from Capriccio - Vienna Phil/ Christoph Eschenbach (Decca 466 314)
STRAUSS: Mvt 3, Oboe Concerto - François Leleux (ob), Swedish Radio SO/ (Sony 88697 74869)
STRAUSS: Salome's Dance - Vienna Phil/ Georg Solti (Decca 475 7528)
STRAUSS: Suite from Der Rosenkavalier - Vienna Phil/ Andre Previn (DG 437 390)
STRAUSS: Overture, Daphne - West German Radio SO/ Semyon Bychkov (Decca 475 6926)
STRAUSS: Horn Concerto No 2 in Eb - David Pyatt (horn), Britten Sinfonia/ Nicholas Cleobury (EMI CD EMX 2238)
STRAUSS: Sonatina No 1 in F for winds - Ensemble Villa Musica (Dabringhaus & Grimm MDG 304 1173)
STRAUSS: Menuet, from Symphony for Wind Instruments - Netherlands Wind Ensemble/ Edo de Waart (Newton 880 2066)
STRAUSS: Duet Concertino for clarinet & bassoon - Nicholas Cox (cl), Alan Pendlebury (bsn), Royal Liverpool Phil? Gerard Schwarz (Avie AV 2071)
