When you hear the name Strauss, waltzes are liable to spring to mind. It is a strong association and one that goes with Johann, Josef, Eduard, and the dynasty that put the Viennese waltz on the map. But Richard, though not in that tradition, wrote waltzes too, and the clever folks at Koch Schwann have put together an album of three-four in their “Unknown” Richard Strauss series. This CD cheats a bit, for the sumptuous music from Der Rosenkavalier is very, very well known. Both the waltz sequence from Act 3, arranged by the composer in 1911, and a more extended arrangement of music from Acts 1 & 2, including the familiar prelude and also arranged by Strauss, are included here. Compared to this glorious music, the rest of the compositions on this disc sound like fluff, but very enjoyable fluff. The music is uniformly frothy: Schlagobers is a prime example, being from a ballet in which Strauss envisioned a chef whipping cream, with the younger women of the corps de ballet emerging from his overflowing bowl in a final waltz. As in other recordings in this excellent series, the performances from Karl Rickenbacher and the Bamberg Symphony are expert, idiomatic, and enjoyable. The recorded sound is rich and full, with excellent dynamic and frequency range. The stage depth is realistic, the stereo separation slightly restricted.
