Edward Gardner conducts Strauss: An Alpine Symphony and Metamorphosen

Featuring

Edward Gardner
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Richard Strauss

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Historical Context

Metamorphosen was composed in 1945 as a response to the devastation of German cities during World War II, particularly the bombing of opera houses in Munich, Weimar, Dresden, and Vienna.

Compositional Technique

An Alpine Symphony features a huge, color-enhanced orchestra, including distant hunting horns (Strauss asks for twelve), harps and celeste for a waterfall effect, and a wind machine and organ for the thunderstorm.

Performer Biography

Edward Gardner, the conductor on this album, has been Principal Conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra since 2021 and is also Music Director of the Norwegian Opera & Ballet.

Compositional Technique

In Metamorphosen, a theme Strauss titled 'Mourning for Munich' is transformed into the Funeral March theme from Beethoven's 'Eroica' Symphony, with Strauss writing 'In Memoriam!' in the score.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Strauss considered naming his Alpine Symphony "The Antichrist" because he saw the mountain ascent as a metaphor for moral purification and freedom through one's own strength, reflecting the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche.

Recording & Production

This album was recorded live at the Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall in London in January and February 2025.

Composition History

Richard Strauss's An Alpine Symphony was partly inspired by a boyhood climbing adventure in the Alps that went wrong, where he and his friends got lost in a terrifying storm.