Product ReviewsRichard Strauss: Also sprach Zarathustra; Ein Heldenleben (CD, Apr-1993, RCA Victor)

Amazing.

Strauss’ Ein Heldenleben has been one of my personal favorites for many years. My favorite performances of all is the 1941 Mengelberg/Concertgebouw Orchestra. He really understood what it was all about. Unfortunately it is pre-HiFi. I had never found a good stereo recording, until I happened on the 1954 Reiner/Chicago, ironically as an RCA New Orthophonic mono recording. It is a close second to the 1941 Mengelberg. On the back of the 1954 album it mentioned that it had also been recorded in stereo. So I looked and found that indeed a stereo CD had been released. I ordered it and is it nothing short of amazing. It is hard to believe that a recording from 1954 can sound so incredibly life like. It beats most new recordings of anything in quality. It seems that recording classical is a lost art. (As a side note I later came across an unopened stereo vinyl copy and of course it beats the CD copy as vinyl will in really good equipment.) If you want an amazing and deeply personal recording of Ein Heldenleben, this is it.Read full review...