Man! The woodwinds are really hammering out those ostinato triplets at 0:11 like a machine gun! And the way the horns just effortlessly join in at 0:16 is just incredible! This has to be the fastest tempo of this on UA-cam. And the woodwinds and horns are the most difficult instruments to tongue this fast on. And the fact that they're all perfectly together is just miraculous. This is truly virtuosic playing here!
Recorded in 1954 in the CSO's home of Orchestra Hall before they messed it up with the 1966 remodeling. All the hard, sound reflective surfaces were removed, including wooden seats and wall space, then replaced with plush red velvet stuff rendering the hall completely dead. It has never been the same in spite of all the Star Wars bubbles and baffles later installed. I cherish the older recordings like these because they reveal the true sound of this great orchestra in what many consider its heyday.
It just doesn't get any better than this -- go ahead, try as you might. A fantastic orchestra and a great conductor. Everything in place for outstanding musical realization of Strauss's emotional outpouring of love!!!
One of the best performances of this piece ever recorded. Superbly rendered with tempi very much like Strauss conducted it. Reiner had worked under Strauss and was very well acquainted with his music.
Spannende Interpretation dieses spätromantischen Meisterwerks mit seidigen Töne der Solovioline und gut artikulierten Töne anderer Instrumente. Der unvergleichliche Dirigent leitet das hoch funktionelle Orchester im relativ schnellen Tempo mit gut kontrollierter Dynamik. Das Orchester war bestimmt an seiner ersten Spitze unter der künstlerischen Leitung von diesem Dirigent. Einfach wunderbar!
You can consider Reiner this 1954 performance of Don Juan, as perfect if you want to. His later recording dated 1960 is less "elastic". To me however, Artur Rodzinski with Royal Philharmonic left the best Don Juan. It is full of youthful fire and temper. I lost old LP with Rodzinski and cannot download it here. Rodzinski made several perfect recordings after returning to Europe in 1950-ties on Seraphim/Westminster label. Unfortunately, only few of them were transferred to CDs.
The colours in the winds and brasses are great. I remind onyl at Karajan, who could do such things with an orchestra also. When Reiner conducted Strauß walzes, Strauss and Wagner he was at his very best. But to be honest, I like his Brahms, Moussorgsky, Ravel and Beethoven also. A giant on the podium. The orchestra members called him friendly Fritz, what was not a compliment, he was a tough guy who knows what he wants and the music needed. Like Carlos Kleiber said: I know only one conductor, who reach the target with friendliness, it was Bruno Walter (Kleiber admired Karajan - the saying about Karajan was: He gots from the orchestra everytime what he wants, Kleiber said often, how he make it?).
I'm with you there, still you can't drop the Reiner Strauss recordings, you know... they are there (the Elektra exceprts is one in a million). Have you heard the Fritz Busch with LPO? It is UNBELIEVABLE.
I first heard this recording when I was in high school, a young cellist just discovering the works of Strauss. I made a huge impression on me, and I still consider it the finest rendition of this work.
this is a fast tempo no doubt, but check out the cleveland orchestra version under george szell, its a contender, especially in the opening 2 minutes..
@@stephenmissal8260 Both Reiner and Szell were Strauss proteges. No surprise that their tempi would reflect the brisk manner that Strauss conducted the piece.
+RD3D Based on the timing, this IS the 1961 recording, not 1954, misidentified on the Sony SACD release, per Mark Obert-Thorn. The 1954 recording was about 16:00 vs. 16:29. See www.sa-cd.net/showthread/18748/y?page=first
+adfadfs see also www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/music/0214/classical/reiner_complete.htm The 1954 version was released as Side B of RCA Victor Red Seal LM-1888 with Liebermann's Concerto for Jazz Band and Symphony Orchestra, in 1955. The 1960 version was released as Side B of RCA Victor Red Seal LSC-2462 with Debussy's La Mer in 1961 (on online image of the record label shows the time as 16:11, which appears to be a bit off). One of the versions (don't know which one, 1960?) was also released as Side B of RCA Victorola VICS 1265 with Strauss' Also Sprach Zarathustra in 1961.
+adfadfs After critical headphone listening to the intros of both recordings, I agree this is indeed the later one. There are only subtle differences, at least to my ears, between them performance-wise. I have the 1969 Victrola re-release of the early Don Juan coupled with the Salome Final Scene.
![Claude Debussy - Iberia [Fritz Reiner, Chicago Symphony Orchestra]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/zUKoT6Jyip4/mqdefault.jpg)
Truly outstanding interpretation. I've listened to about every rendition there is of Don Juan and this is hands down THE recording to listen to.
Hermosa interpretación...
Munch & Boston: Eat your hearts out. Thanks for the post!
Se acaba de convertir en mi nueva versión favorita
Richard Strauss:Don Juan Op.20
Chicagói Szimfonikus Zenekar
Vezényel:Reiner Frigyes
Man! The woodwinds are really hammering out those ostinato triplets at 0:11 like a machine gun! And the way the horns just effortlessly join in at 0:16 is just incredible! This has to be the fastest tempo of this on UA-cam. And the woodwinds and horns are the most difficult instruments to tongue this fast on. And the fact that they're all perfectly together is just miraculous. This is truly virtuosic playing here!
Correction: Fastest AND CLEANEST omg incredible!
And recorded with just 2 microphones. Find and engineer or producer in this day and age who is brave enough to try doing it that way.
Recorded in 1954 in the CSO's home of Orchestra Hall before they messed it up with the 1966 remodeling. All the hard, sound reflective surfaces were removed, including wooden seats and wall space, then replaced with plush red velvet stuff rendering the hall completely dead. It has never been the same in spite of all the Star Wars bubbles and baffles later installed. I cherish the older recordings like these because they reveal the true sound of this great orchestra in what many consider its heyday.
Possibly one of the best Don juan interpretations.the magic of CSO and Reiner!five stars
No "possibly" about it. This is the single greatest interpretation/recording of this masterwork. A step above the rest.
It just doesn't get any better than this -- go ahead, try as you might. A fantastic orchestra and a great conductor. Everything in place for outstanding musical realization of Strauss's emotional outpouring of love!!!
One of the best performances of this piece ever recorded. Superbly rendered with tempi very much like Strauss conducted it. Reiner had worked under Strauss and was very well acquainted with his music.
The best ever version of this work!! It's full of life!!!!
Strauss, Reiner, and the CSO were a smokin' team!
An astonishing performance and a great recording!
Spannende Interpretation dieses spätromantischen Meisterwerks mit seidigen Töne der Solovioline und gut artikulierten Töne anderer Instrumente. Der unvergleichliche Dirigent leitet das hoch funktionelle Orchester im relativ schnellen Tempo mit gut kontrollierter Dynamik. Das Orchester war bestimmt an seiner ersten Spitze unter der künstlerischen Leitung von diesem Dirigent. Einfach wunderbar!
好き嫌いは別として、圧倒的である。
This is THE best recording of this work! Man, it doesn't get any better than this.
💪
Perfection.
Wow.
You can consider Reiner this 1954 performance of Don Juan, as perfect if you want to. His later recording dated 1960 is less "elastic". To me however, Artur Rodzinski with Royal Philharmonic left the best Don Juan. It is full of youthful fire and temper. I lost old LP with Rodzinski and cannot download it here. Rodzinski made several perfect recordings after returning to Europe in 1950-ties on Seraphim/Westminster label. Unfortunately, only few of them were transferred to CDs.
Definitvamente mi version favorita de esta obra maestra!
全盛期のシカゴ響です。
二十世紀の巨匠は凄いと改めて思いました。セルの演奏も素晴らしかったのですが、ライナーは更に疾風怒濤の演奏で、現代のマエストロでは聴けない演奏です。間違いなく名演です。
The colours in the winds and brasses are great. I remind onyl at Karajan, who could do such things with an orchestra also. When Reiner conducted Strauß walzes, Strauss and Wagner he was at his very best. But to be honest, I like his Brahms, Moussorgsky, Ravel and Beethoven also. A giant on the podium. The orchestra members called him friendly Fritz, what was not a compliment, he was a tough guy who knows what he wants and the music needed. Like Carlos Kleiber said: I know only one conductor, who reach the target with friendliness, it was Bruno Walter (Kleiber admired Karajan - the saying about Karajan was: He gots from the orchestra everytime what he wants, Kleiber said often, how he make it?).
One of the three great recordings of this work. The others (marginally better) are Fritz Busch and Rudolf Kempe
I'm with you there, still you can't drop the Reiner Strauss recordings, you know... they are there (the Elektra exceprts is one in a million). Have you heard the Fritz Busch with LPO? It is UNBELIEVABLE.
+kedem berger yeah the tempo is GREAT! i'm a violinist and i love playing strauss.
I first heard this recording when I was in high school, a young cellist just discovering the works of Strauss. I made a huge impression on me, and I still consider it the finest rendition of this work.
Maybe because it is the first Don Juan I ever heard or maybe because it is so good that I have never found a recording to equal this one.
The best Don Juan
This is the 1960 version...not 1954.
Are you sure? I thought this version was from 1954.
this is a fast tempo no doubt, but check out the cleveland orchestra version under george szell, its a contender, especially in the opening 2 minutes..
Yes, I totally agree.
@@stephenmissal8260 Both Reiner and Szell were Strauss proteges. No surprise that their tempi would reflect the brisk manner that Strauss conducted the piece.
Just awesome, wow!!
Otro tema español en la música clásica.
This is very good, but his 1961recording with the CSO is even better (done in one take, BTW).
+RD3D That's true, the recording of 1961 is even better!
+RD3D Based on the timing, this IS the 1961 recording, not 1954, misidentified on the Sony SACD release, per Mark Obert-Thorn. The 1954 recording was about 16:00 vs. 16:29. See www.sa-cd.net/showthread/18748/y?page=first
+adfadfs see also www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/music/0214/classical/reiner_complete.htm
The 1954 version was released as Side B of RCA Victor Red Seal LM-1888 with Liebermann's Concerto for Jazz Band and Symphony Orchestra, in 1955.
The 1960 version was released as Side B of RCA Victor Red Seal LSC-2462 with Debussy's La Mer in 1961 (on online image of the record label shows the time as 16:11, which appears to be a bit off).
One of the versions (don't know which one, 1960?) was also released as Side B of RCA Victorola VICS 1265 with Strauss' Also Sprach Zarathustra in 1961.
+adfadfs After critical headphone listening to the intros of both recordings, I agree this is indeed the later one. There are only subtle differences, at least to my ears, between them performance-wise. I have the 1969 Victrola re-release of the early Don Juan coupled with the Salome Final Scene.
Reiner's CSO was a MACHINE!
Very good interpretation, i still prefer Karajan's or Böhm's , but this one is really good anyways.