Langgaard: Prelude to "Antichrist" - R. Strauss: An Alpine Symphony (Live)

Richard Strauss’ monumental and cinematic mountain-climb is twinned on this impressive album with the prelude to Rued Langgaard’s opera Antichrist, a brief and evocative piece couched in a sinuous and slightly sinister language. Dausgaard draws fine playing from his excellent Seattle orchestra. But the real business lies on the mountainside and Dausgaard paces the climb beautifully. It’s a work that shows off every member of an orchestra, and here the honours are evenly spread throughout the various sections, with some superb solos. When the summit is reached, the magnificent recorded sound merely adds to the glory.