Johann Strauss in Berlin
We may never associate Johann Strauss with Berlin (he's just so darn Vienna), but Nikolaus Harnoncourt does some ingenious programming on this disc to reveal one new facet of the composer's life: Strauss's numerous works tied to (or composed for) Berlin audiences. Thus, we finally get to hear the short but sweet Berlin version of the overture toA Night in Venice(performed here for the first time);Seid umschlungen, Millionen, the melancholy-tinged waltz that Strauss dedicated to Brahms; and theSimpliciusWaltz that the composer himself conducted in Berlin in 1889. Throughout, Harnoncourt's tempos are accurate and never too fast. He lets this music slowly unfold; even the oom-pah-pahs sound studied. The Berlin Philharmonic performs these works gorgeously and the recorded sound is spectacular.--Jason Verlinde