*STRAUSS, R. Ein Heldenleben, Op. 40. Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra (Antal Dorati) (Solo violin: Rafael Druian). Mercury

MG500I2 (12 in., 36s. 5d.).

Think what you like about Strauss's paean of self-glorification--the picture of himself as the Uebermensch, heroically fighting off his snarling detractors and loftily withdrawing from the world to plan his masterpieces undisturbed, smacks not a little of the Nazi lack of proportion—it cannot be denied that after more than half a century it stands up, as music, better than many of the, other bombastic works of the period.

(Think of d'Indy's Second Symphony, Le Poetize de l'Extase, Ilya Murometz or—dare I add, after the Edinburgh Festival—Gzsrrelieder!) True, some of the sequences in the early part now sound manufactured; the caprices of the Helpmeet become rather tiresome ; the battle (with the dice heavily loaded) goes on too long. But Strauss's sheer exuberance, his delight in wielding his mastery of the most complex counterpoint, the melting tenderness in those moments when he was content to be simple and quiet, give this tone-poem many unforgettable passages. There is already a fine recorded performance available by Krauss and the Vienna Phil., well if not faultlessly engineered, in the Decca list: this new version is a worthy rival to it. Dorati, who is thought of in this country mainly as a ballet specialist, reveals that he is equally at home in vast concert scores such as this, and with the aid of his excellent Minneapolis Orchestra (which he took over in 5949) gives a reading which is full of vitality, shapely and admirably clear. Though the strenuous parts leave little to be desired, it is the reflective sections which are given a particular beauty—the composer's musings on his previous works, or his peaceful reveries (the cor anglais theme after figure 99 in the score). The strings of the orchestra are first class, and the solo violin not only well illustrates the changeable temperament of Frau Pauline but does so with purer intonation than his Vienna Phil. rival. On the other hand, the first horn's vibrato in the coda (figure io8) is excessive and spoils the line. The trumpets heralding the battle, by the way, are played off-stage as the composer demanded—a detail which Decca passed over.

What of the recording ? Mercury have a high reputation to uphold, and they are clearly proud of their " Living Presence" quality—though I do not understand how their use of a single microphone constitutes a "unique recording technique ". The tone of the orchestra emerges pretty faithfully (though without quite the roundness and weight of the Decca version), the disc surface is completely quiet, and the recording takes the full blaze of the shattering climaxes (e.g. the enormous dominant seventh at the end of the first section) without a trace of discomfort; but the microphone placing is not ideal, the woodwind being a trifle on the weak side throughout (and hence losing some of the bitter malice of the scharf und spitzig faultfinding) and the brass a little too near, so that they tend to be a bit blatant. Nevertheless, this is a very fine issue. It is odd that, as in the Decca version too, there should suddenly be a wow on the last chord. L.S.