This album was recorded at the Esplanade Concert Hall, Singapore, with Don Juan recorded in July 2022 and Ein Heldenleben recorded in July 2023.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Richard Strauss's tone poem Ein Heldenleben ('A Hero's Life') is an autobiographical work, with the composer himself as the hero.
Performer Biography
The Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO) has earned an international reputation, winning 3rd place in the Gramophone Orchestra of the Year Award 2021 and being named one of the 23 best orchestras in the world by BBC Music Magazine in 2022.
Composition History
Richard Strauss was inspired to write his tone poem Don Juan after reading Nikolaus Lenau's take on the legend, which portrayed Don Juan as seeking an ideal woman rather than merely pursuing many.
Compositional Technique
A tone poem is a long-form instrumental work for orchestra, usually in a single movement, intended to evoke images based on moods, stories, or scenes without depicting a specific narrative.
Performer Biography
Hans Graf, the conductor on this album, is the Quantedge Music Director of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra and has a discography that includes a GRAMMY and ECHO Klassik award-winning recording of Berg's Wozzeck.
Composer Biography
Richard Strauss, the composer, was a prolific exponent of the tone poem genre, having produced no fewer than ten such works.
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