Richard Strauss, as well as being a world famous composer left a substantial recorded legacy, particularly of his own works.
In 1922 Columbia recorded Don Juan with Strauss conducting the London Symphony Orchestra. This was Strauss’s second recording of the work, more or less: a 1917 account for Grammophon had the first two sides conducted by George Szell, and the last two by Strauss. For the Columbia recording Strauss conducted the whole work, save for a minor cut of the 24 bars preceding figure L in the score. The rather small violin section is pushed to the limit in some of the prominent parts with a high tessitura.
Richard Strauss – Don Juan
London Symphony Orchestra, Richard Strauss
R. Strauss – Don Juan – LSO, Strauss
(mp3 file – click to play, or right click the link, then select “Save as”)
Columbia L 1419-20
Matrices 75034-2, 75035-2, 75036-2, 75037-2
Recorded 18th January 1922
Available from April 1922 to February 1928
Plays in score pitch at 80.0rpm