Strauss: Also sprach Zarathustra; Debussy: Jeux

by Francois-Xavier Roth, London Symphony Orchestra

Overview

Conductor Francois-Xavier Roth is perhaps best known for his work with his historical-instrument ensemble Les Siecles, which has achieved some revelatory results in French repertory from the years on either side of 1900. However, he also conducts traditional orchestras with interesting results, and this live album with the London Symphony Orchestra drew enough listeners to land on classical charts in the spring of 2023. It is a mixed bag. Roth tries to apply the edgy, wiry sound of his Les Siecles recordings to Strauss' Also sprach Zarathustra, where it is really not a good fit. His tempos are notably quick, robbing the opening sunrise of any majesty and the darker passages of urgency. The LSO Live engineering staff, admittedly, faces the black belt of challenges with the Strauss, and they keep the big passages clear at the expense of the quiet ones, which lurk on the border of inaudibility. Debussy's Jeux, the only ballet ever written about a lost tennis ball, is closer to Roth's bailiwick, and he delivers a graceful reading with good control over the LSO strings. Certainly, this conductor has added readings of value to the symphonic discography, and his fans will find things to chew on here, but for the main attraction, Also sprach Zarathustra, only the most devoted would choose this recording. ~ James Manheim

Product Details

Release Date:	03/24/2023
Label:	Lso Live
UPC:	0822231183327
Rank:	18986

Tracks

1. Also sprach Zarathustra~Also sprach Zarathustra. Sonnenaufgang
2. Also sprach Zarathustra~Von den Hinterweltern
3. Also sprach Zarathustra~Von den gro¿¿en Sehnsucht
4. Also sprach Zarathustra~Von den Freuden und Leidenschaften
5. Also sprach Zarathustra~Das Grablied
6. Also sprach Zarathustra~Von der Wissenschaft
7. Also sprach Zarathustra~Der Genesende. Energisch
8. Also sprach Zarathustra~Der Genesende. Ziemlich langsam
9. Also sprach Zarathustra~Das Tanzlied
10. Also sprach Zarathustra~Das Nachtwanderlied
11. Jeux

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Francois-Xavier Roth   Primary Artist,Conductor
London Symphony Orchestra   Primary Artist,Orchestra

Technical Credits

Richard Strauss   Composer
Claude Debussy   Composer
Jonathan Stokes   Mixing,Editing,Engineer,Mastering,Balance Engineer
Mark Allan   Photography
Marco Borggreve   Photography
Neil Hutchinson   Mixing,Editing,Engineer,Mastering,Balance Engineer
Nicholas Parker   Editing,Producer
Claire Delamarche   Liner Note Translation
Pascal Bergerault   Liner Notes,Liner Note Translation
Stephen Johnson   Liner Notes
Andrew Stewart   Liner Notes
Jeremy Thurlow   Liner Notes
Ursula Wulfekamp   Liner Note Translation
Elke Hockings   Liner Note Translation
Ros Schwartz   Translation Supervisor