Barbican, London
Strauss always said Nietzsche was the most important intellectual influence on his life and work, a statement many people have doubted over the years. The ambiguous ending of Also Sprach Zarathustra, based on Nietzsche's magnum opus, famously replaces the philosopher's vaunting certainty with something altogether more querulous, leaving admirers of both men to ponder this disparity's significance.
Daniel Harding brought philosophy and music back into juxtaposition, however, in his performance with the London Symphony Orchestra, by prefacing the tone poem with a reading by Samuel West of the book's prologue. I am not sure it added anything, though the effect of the opening rumble as West's voice died away was startling. Nor, however, did it detract from a performance that was often magnificent. The piece itself admirably suits Harding's slightly detached way with Strauss, which allows him to be sensuous yet never cloying. The mix of bitonal harmonies and exquisite textures was superbly negotiated and displayed. And the playing was glorious.
Yet what works for Zarathustra doesn't necessarily suit Strauss's Don Juan. Sensuousness isn't quite enough for a piece that demands full-on eroticism. Blinding orchestral clarity renders it overly clean. And the sudden, downbeat ending loses its shock when protracted, as was the case here.
The two tone poems were separated by Ravel's Piano Concerto in G, with H�l�ne Grimaud as soloist, a late change to the programme: she was originally scheduled to play Mozart's K 488. Some doubtless wished she had stuck to the latter, as her Ravel is already familiar in London. But she does it wonderfully, bringing weight and intelligence to a work sometimes treated as jest. Harding's conducting was bluesy and laid back in the extreme.
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2011/feb/13/lso-daniel-harding-strauss-review
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