RICHARD STRAUSS: Music for Wind Ensemble Complete [CD de audio] Holliger, Netherlands Wind Ensemble, New Philharmonia Orchestra,

Richard Strauss is best known for his large-scale orchestral music and for his operatic and vocal works, but he also wrote a large amount of chamber music, including works for wind ensembles. This outstanding collection of works by Richard Strauss for wind instruments spans his entire creative career. The Serenade in E flat and the Suite in B flat, both for thirteen wind instruments, were written in his late teens and are full of joy and youthful vigor. The Serenade is Mozartian in derivation, but it hints at the romantic melodies and rich Straussian textures to come. The most ambitious Suite is heavily influenced by Brahms, with a tender Romance and a finale that ends in a full-body fugue. His three major works for wind instruments were composed after a hiatus of sixty years. The Sonatina No. 1 in F and the Symphony for Wind Instruments in E flat (also called Sonatina No. 2) are richly inventive, with the melody and texture of their maturity, but somehow retaining the freshness of their writing early. The charming Oboe Concerto has a beautiful warm lyrical theme and a lively ending. The classic performances of these works presented here were recorded in the early 1970s and are mostly performed by the Netherlands Wind Ensemble, conducted by the distinguished Dutch conductor Edo de Waart. The opinion of Edo de Waart and this team of young Dutch people manage to obtain maximum clarity and delicacy in the interpretation. Tonal nuance, phrasing, ensemble and balance are excellent, and the recording engineers have achieved greater presence and richness of tone without excess weight. The interpretation is superlative: overall, this is an outstanding edition. -Gramophone