Wiener Philharmoniker & Christian Thielemann: Strauss' Ein Heldenleben

Vienna Philharmonic and Christian Thielemann

You often hear it said that there is no more glowing string sound than that of the Vienna Philharmonic. It is up to Christian Thielemann to elicit that beauty from the musicians. Orchestra and conductor, who have been working together since 2000, form a golden combination. They are working on a complete cycle of Bruckner's symphonies on CD. Richard Strauss, tonight in the Concertgebouw, is also grist to the mill of the German conductor, who with his feeling for opera is extremely suitable to present Ein Heldenleben . 'A maestro whose Strauss can convert even skeptics', said The New York Times about Thielemann at the Viennese in music by Strauss.

Strauss' Ein Heldenleben

Richard Strauss chose a symphonic poem of classical structure to portray his unnamed hero. We do not know whether he wanted to sketch himself on his thorny path to fame and success, he refused to give Ein Heldenleben a program. His wife Pauline was the source of inspiration for 'Des Helden Gefährtin', the great violin solo. Strauss said: 'I wanted to portray my wife. She is very complex, very woman, a bit depraved, a bit of a flirt, never the same twice, different every minute.'