Macbeth is one of Strauss’ earlier tone poems, and it really does not deserve the neglect that it has suffered in recent years. It has all the virtues of youth: brevity, variety, and it’s noisy as hell. It may be that this particular effort shows the composer to be closer to his Lisztian roots than some listeners will find comfortable, but who really cares? It’s a fun piece, and Markson gets his Irish orchestra to deliver a rousing performance. “Ein Heldenleben” is another matter. There’s nothing particularly wrong with this well played and well paced performance; it’s just nothing special, and this work–containing as it does some of Strauss’ most notorious “dead spots”– really needs “special” treatment if it’s to come off at all. Your attention wanders during the Hero’s courtship with his interminably talkative beloved, and the last 10 minutes or so are pretty sleepy. If the fault for this lies largely with the composer, then it’s the conductor’s job to make the best possible case, whatever the musical material. The best performances do just this, and unfortunately, Markson’s isn’t one of them. At budget price, though, and with a fine “Macbeth,” this may be worth considering for the earlier work alone.
