A side note to this discussion about doublings in Strauss.
If you have any way of getting hold of a copy, listen to the 1970
London Symphony Recording of Der Rosenkavalier Suite and Don Juan with
Andre Previn conducting. RCA LP LSC-3135. (Also contains a very
catchy little waltz entitled Munchen.) Previn doubles the horns
throughout. The liner notes (written by Richard Freed) state that
Strauss himself was known to approve of the practice. I don't know if
that is true or not. Nor do I care. Nor do I want to get into (or
start) a silly flame about the issue.
What I do know is that the sound is glorious (a too-worn word, but one
that applies here). A wall of sound that comes not from fortississimo
blasting, nor from electronics. Just an incredible presence of sound
from the horns that doesn't overbalance the orchestra, nor does it
come across as overreaching.
Not unlike, in my opinion, Mahler's occassional use of doubling.
I have no idea how possible it would be to get a copy. But if you are
a Strauss fan, it would be worth your time.
Tim
Timothy F. Thompson, D.M.A.
Professor of Music
University of Arkansas at Fayetteville
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