Conducted by Giuseppe Sinopoli, the programme includes performances of Strauss' Alpine Symphony, Wagner's Overture to Rienzi, Weber's Jubel Overture and Vivaldi's Concerto di Dresda. This orchestra gave the first performances of many other works - including Wagner's Tannhauser and Flying Dutchman, Richard Strauss' Elektra, Salome and Der Rosenkavalier and, latterly, works by Wolfgang Rihm, Paul Dessau and Hanns Eisler. Both the Wagner and Strauss pieces on this disc reveal the opulence of this orchestra - particularly in the strings. There are moments when the iciness of the 'on the glacier' section resemble the frozen fountain of hair that has become Sinopoli's trademark. The storm itself is effusively done, the fullness of Strauss' orchestration caught in state of the art sound.
Operatic discs continue to reflect a shortage of inspiration.
Universal's new batch of releases includes three operas from Met productions dating from 1989 to 1991. It is an extremely exciting performance, quite beautifully staged and with Agnes Baltsa and Jose Carreras both somewhere near the peak of their considerable form. This is, however, traditional fare - no matter how lavishly it may appear on screen. Moving Mozart's opera of freemasonry and fantasy to a hideous fairy-tale world of grossly costumed caricatures and puppet dragons may be appealing to some. A chariot pulled by lions, fluffy-felt looking camels, clouds that resemble iron lungs, and a mountain that looks as if it is made from boxes dominate in a production that often seems very wide of the mark.