Steven Schwartz <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>I love Richard Strauss's music -

Am I the only person who dislikes his tone-poems but loves all the other
stuff? (if it weren't for the darn tone poems, I would rate Strauss about
as highly as Mahler).

>...leaving aside some of the very early stuff and of the occasional music -

Do you include his early chamber stuff in this? Some of it is really
original.

>"composer of the century" bit seemed incredibly bogus, particularly since
>he dismisses likely candidates far too quickly on frivolous grounds
>(Stravinsky never makes him cry?).

Weird reason to dismiss Stravinsky, but there is an "odor" of truth in it.

>...  it's nice to see Eine Alpensinfonie getting some respect for a change
>(Blomstedt and the San Francisco on London/Decca blow Karajan out of the
>water)

Amen.

>I suspect Ross wanted to write about Strauss, but the only hook that
>occurred to him came in the form of "composer of the century." Perhaps
>this is the only way he could sneak it past the New Yorker editors.

And the only way he could get people to read it. At least he didn't
call him "composer of the millenium"...

Ulvi
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