It shouldn't take a 200th anniversary to send everyone scurrying to the shelves (or Spotify) to listen or re-listen to some great Strauss recordings.
But anniversaries are useful for reminding us, and any reminder to hear again the ravishing recordings below is to be appreciated...
Der Rosenkavalier, cond. Haitink (EMI/now Warner)
So many great versions from which to choose. Karajan, Carlos Kleiber live, Karl Bohm (with a fabulous mezzo Marschallin from Christa Ludwig). In the end, though, I'm still left clutching the Haitink. Magnificent playing from the Dresden Staatskapelle, transluscent textures from their conductor, and three women whose voices blend as only God imagined in the Trio - Barbara Hendricks, Anne Sofie von Otter and, in perhaps her finest recorded performance, Kiri Te Kanawa.
More famous rival sets for the opera that started it all are conducted by Dohnanyi, Karajan and Sir Georg Solti. But Caballe's princess is all the more disturbing for being sung with such creamy tone, Sherrill Milnes is a powerhouse Baptist and Richard Lewis is a dangerous psychotic Herod, quite the best on disc. And Leinsdorf only once elsewhere approached this level in a recording (his Un Ballo In Maschera) - nothing else of his work elsewhere will prepare you for the decadent sensuality, the excitement, the sheer power of what he summons here.
An Alpine Symphony, cond. Jansons (RCO Live)
Love Karajan, love Haitink (especially the most recent London Symphony Orchestra version), love Antoni Wit on Naxos. But Jansons takes the prize for his narrative thrust and his orchestra - the Concertgebouw - finds the drama in every bar. A great recording.
Ein Heldenleben, cond. Rattle (EMI/Warner)
Again, there's a famous Karajan recording and again, he just loses out to a rival, in this case his successor at the helm of the Berlin Philharmonic, Simon Rattle. This one is almost too close to call, with the BPO providing an astoundingly rich sonic palette in both, and intense characterisation from the lead violins (Michael Schwalbe for Karajan, Guy Braunstein for Rattle). The newer issue wins really only because of the superior sound quality, tipping a very, very fine balance.
Four Last Songs, Flagstad/cond. Furtwangler (Testament)
A real gem, the live recording of the world premiere of the Four Last Songs. If we tend to think of Wilhelm Furtwangler and Kirsten Flagstad as Wagnerians (and there is also Wagner on the agenda here) this proves them as Strauss artists to the manner born. Or rather, to the heavens lifted, because there is absolutely nothing earthbound about these transcendent performances. Great playing from the Philharmonia.
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