Strauss - Don Quixote [Maisky & Zimmermann /Mehta-Berliner Philharmoniker] 

The companion piece to the Dvorak on this disc, i played the Dvorak in April [19th April 2011], i bought the disc mainly because of the Dvorak coupling, but it's good to have a version of this work too, it certainly isn't a work that i feel hot about, i find Strauss hard to get into, he has great moments, but the bigger canvas can get somewhat clogged, however Don Quixote is a work i'm slowly warming to, mainly i'm starting to enjoy certain moments in this work, and like Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition, each variation shows a different portrait of the bumbling hero.

Mischa Maisky is Latvian, born in 1948, and he made this recording in 2002, as of late, Deutsche Grammophon have got better at producing some wonderful visual packages [think Helene Grimaud, Yuja Wang, and Hilary Hahn here], and the front cover of this booklet is well laid out [photo by Susesch Bayat], showing Maisky and Mehta in dark clothing, i take it outside on the Berliner Philharmonie roof / balcony, the lettering is excellent, nicely light against the dark background, and Maisky is one of those Artists that defy the 'bow tie and tails', for something more unique and i guess comfortable, and then there's his Simon Rattle mane!.

The two variations i enjoyed the most were 2 & 4, 'The Battle with the Sheep' and 'The Adventure with the Procession of Penitents', so here's a short synopsis with each of these variations,

2 The Battle with the Sheep, you can hear the sheep bleating away in the woodwinds [0:11-0:17], and then later in the brass [0:20+], all out of tune and ugly, very agitated, nicely realized by Strauss.
4 The Adventure with the Procession of Penitents, a variation with strong forward momentum to begin with, but then come the penitents singing the Dies Irae, [0:45+], and what sounds like the bass clarinet & oboe arguing away [Quixote & Panza?], right at the end the bassoon gets a nice 'raspberry' [1:58-2:04].
Well i'm slowing getting into this more, i'm thankful for the additional insights i have gained today.

Strauss - Don Quixote [Maisky & Zimmermann/ Mehta-Berliner Philharmoniker]

I bought this disc mainly for the Dvorak coupling, but also with an eye on the Strauss work too, i must admit that i haven't listened to Don Quixote nearly as much, it's still a work i'm coming to terms with, and still learning to appreciate, so on this hearing it was good that some things fell into place, plus the fact that the work is nicely cued into individual variations/tracks, it means it's easier to know where you're at, and what variation you're on.

The two variations that hit home this time were variation 2 'The Battle With The Sheep', and variation 7 'The Ride Through The Air', both are extremely atmospheric, the bleating of the sheep comes from the brass [track 9, 0:19-1:20], annoyed at first, they become agitated, and then really frightened [1:05-1:07], it's clever the way Strauss makes the brass sound like sheep, the ride through the air uses a wind machine, with flutes and piccolos making up a storm [track 14, 0:00-1:14], and the brass adding to the spectacle, with the rolling timpani in the background, the piece gets more darker at [0:40+], as the brass growl more, again a very descriptive use of the orchestra, i need to develop a further love of some of the other variations, a work which i'm beginning to understand and appreciate.

Here's Tortelier & Kempe playing 'The Battle With The Sheep' on YouTube.