Credits:
O-Modern Chamber Orchestra
Description:
This is the second collection of works by Richard Strauss by the Lugano-based Swiss Italian Radio Orchestra. The first collection (777990) featured the unusual "Double Concerto" and the suite "The Townsman Aristocrat," but this album features two of the young Strauss's major works, the symphonic poem "From Italy" and the rarely recorded "Violin Concerto," both of which have ties to Italy. The 22-year-old Strauss wrote "From Italia" in four movements, which depicts the scenic beauty of Italy. The "Violin Concerto" was written by Strauss at the age of 17 or 18, and was the first concerto he ever wrote. This is an interesting work that shows Strauss at his best, as he had always excelled at playing the violin. The violinist, Kovalski, is currently the concertmaster of the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio Italo-Swiss, and his talent is highly acclaimed. Naxos Japan