Richard Strauss - An Alpine Symphony; Joseph's Legend (Paavo Järvi)

Information

Composer: Richard Strauss

• An Alpine Symphony, Op. 64, TrV 233
• Joseph's Legend - Symphonic Fragment AV 148 / TrV 231a

NHK Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo

Paavo Järvi, conductor

Date: 2025

Label: Sony Music Labels

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The orchestral works of Richard Strauss have been at the center of Paavo Järvi's programming and recording projects as principal conductor of the NHK Symphony Orchestra. He has recorded seven works on three discs, beginning with "Life of a Hero," and now comes the final installment, "Alpine Symphony," which will be the final installment of the series. Originally scheduled to be performed during Järvi's final season as principal conductor of the NHK Symphony Orchestra, the performance was postponed until April 2023 due to the Corona disaster, and was recorded live on that occasion. The work is a day-long journey of "dawn, climbing a mountain, reaching the summit while admiring various mountain landscapes, meeting a storm on the way down, but escaping the storm at dusk," and the joyful mood of climbing, the spray of a gushing spring, the distant view of the summit, and the storm are beautifully depicted in music using the colorful and infinite palette of tones of a large orchestra. The music beautifully depicts the joys of the climb, the splashing of the spring, the distant sights of the summit, and the storms. And, in truth, it is emotional music oozing with feelings of awe, empathy, and resignation toward the wilderness that lies behind the concrete descriptions. The coupling "Joseph's Music" is a suite for concert performance, arranged from the ballet music of the same name.