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CD83075 Richard Strauss - Ein Heldenleben (Van Otterloo)

CD83075 Richard Strauss - Ein Heldenleben (Van Otterloo)
CD83075 Richard Strauss - Ein Heldenleben (Van Otterloo)
Item# CD83075
$12.95

Product Description

CD83075 Richard Strauss - Ein Heldenleben (Van Otterloo)

RICHARD STRAUSS Ein Heldenleben, Op.40

WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne Willem van Otterloo, conductor

Studio recording WDR, 1967 (stereo) Digital satellite recording, MP3, 320 kbps

Willem van Otterloo (1907-1978) can in many respects be compared to George Szell. He was a born conductor with a very sharp ear. Van Otterloo was chief conductor of the Residentie Orchestra The Hague, which he turned into a superb ensemble, like Szell did in Cleveland. In the 1950's and 1960's the Residentie Orchestra was considered almost the equal of the Concertgebouw.

When Eduard van Beinum, chief conductor of the Concertgebouw, died suddenly in 1959, almost everyone expected that Van Otterloo would be his successor. It did not happen; the Concertgebouw turned instead to the young Bernard Haitink. This was a blow for Van Otterloo, who stayed with the Residentie Orchestra until well in the 1970's.

Why the Concertgebouw turned to the relatively inexperienced Haitink? Well, maybe it had something to do with the fact that Van Otterloo was a dictator-like conductor. Like Szell, Van Otterloo could be very sarcastic to his players. He was not very much liked, but he was very much respected. Van Beinum however was an easy going, amiable man. If Van Otterloo would have been his successor, that should have been a `culture shock' for the orchestra. Maybe the Concertgebouw would have become a well drilled ensemble like the Cleveland Orchestra.

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USA Telephone (404) 200-4776 We sell only opera recordings. The recordings are sent to you in paper sleeves with no tray card or inserts, just the raw discs with printed labels. These recordings are of nonprofessional quality that are in the public domain. The quality of these old opera recordings is not very good and they are meant for collectors and educational purposes only. Most of them are 30 or 40 years old, so they might be blurry, colors faded, and not sound very good, but they might not be available elsewhere. Please note that most of our recordings do not have tracks, they have 1 long track per disc.