Oh the thrill of discovering Richard Strauss in my early twenties.  Most of
the recordings I acquired back then--Ormandy, Ashkenazy/Cleveland--I still
have and I haven't really looked into alternative performances until now.
A very no-frills, informal, non-scientific report; I hope it's moderately
useful:

After hearing Kempe's EMI Ein Heldenleben I went ahead and bought the
entire Kempe/Dresden set--it's available used for pennies all over the net.
What caught my ear is Kempe's ability to find such a wealth of warmth in
Strauss' often fast-moving polyphony, without losing momentum.  Recorded
in the '70's.

Haitink's Strauss: Philips offers an economical 2-CD set with Haitink
and the Concertgebouw doing the 5 major tone poems.  The Heldenleben seems
to have always been a favorite among critics.  It's marked by gorgeous
string/woodwind playing and it's better recorded (3 years earlier!) than
Kempe's, though I still like the Kempe more.  My favorite on this compilation
turned out to be the very poetic, non-fatiguing and stunningly recorded Also
Sprach.  (A friend of mine who recently assisted Leonard Slatkin at the
Concertgebouw said that they hang a thick, gargantuan curtain between the
orchestra and audience to "fill the hall" so to speak when they record).
In all of the performances, the horns are just a little too far recessed
for my taste.  Recorded in the '70's.

Two unlikely sources: In my search for the perfect modern Ein Heldenleben,
who would have thought?  MTT and the London Symphony on Sony?  Usually too
lean and mean a conductor for my tastes, but not here: the voluptuous play
of horns and strings is unforgettable.  Another from the lean and mean school
is Blomstedt/SFO, but what a performance he turns in with the Alpensinfonie
on Decca.  Irresistible woodwind playing, trombone pedal-tones and tuba
spectacularly caught, truly rising from the depths, and the strings who
play their hearts out in "On the Summit." (Both digital).

I finally found Sinopoli's recording of Also Sprach and Tod with the NYPO
on DG at Amazon.  If you can find *any* of his performances with the NYPO
I totally recommend them. The recordings, done at the Manhattan Center are
uniquely warm and spacious, and Sinopoli really wakes this band up.  If
you're tired of the Also Sprach, pick up this version when it comes out on
DG mid-price in October--it's a revelation, though the organ is a little
reedy in the upper register for my tastes.  Sinopoli's Tod has the most
beautifully atmospheric opening I've heard.

Speaking of fatiguing, a big disappointment was Previn's VPO Telarc series.
None of the performances really moved me, and the sound is surprisingly
harsh.

John Smyth
Sacramento, CA