Eine Alpensinfonie

What a glorious reading of this splendid opulent score. The late Frank Shipway made very few recordings but this, together with his splendid Mahler 5, rank, in my humble opinion, amongst the very best available. The inclusion of the Schatten Fantasie is an unbelievable bonus. Shipway aims for the kind of beauty that Karajan always sought in Strauss, and he succeeds. The São Paulo SO are the match of the Berliners.......I would also recommend their splendid Respighi disc under The baton of John Neschling. The two channel SACD sound achieved by the BIS team is stunning.

This SACD hybrid recording was made in 2012 and was intended to herald the start of a complete set of the Strauss Symphonic Poems. Those plans ceased with the conductor's death at the age of 79 in a car crash in 2014.Frank Shipway, during his lifetime, had a reputation of being a hard taskmaster with the orchestras that he worked with and his few recordings illustrate the result of this work ethic with orchestras playing at their absolute best. This is also true of this disc which comes into competition with established recordings of renown by Karajan and Thielemann for example, both of whom have excellent orchestras and sound recordists at their disposal.The Sao Paulo orchestra has nothing to fear from such comparisons both on an individual and corporate level. Indeed there are many moments where they surpass those others. The brass in particular rise magnificently to all the big challenges and the woodwind do equally well with the considerable number of delicate passages involving few of their number. The strings deliver unfailing purity of sound which emphasis the essentially lyrical nature of much of the writing.This interpretation differs from many others by rebalancing the relationship between the big moments, notably the summit and the storm, with moments of introspection and quiet reflection. Often these moments pass as necessary interludes between the main meat of the piece as presented, but in this case those quieter sections carry equal interpretive weight and are by no means played as interludes. This makes the work more cohesive as a balanced structure and more musically satisfying. This is therefore a very notable achievement capable standing with the best available.The disc has the added attraction of the 23 minute suite that Strauss made using thematic material from his `Die Frau ohne Schatten' opera from 1947 (The woman without a Shadow). This is not int6ended to be any form of narrative so the rather complex operatic plot is not significant. Strauss simply made use of his favourite sections of the opera to produce what is, in effect, another Symphonic Poem. The style of writing is richly Romantic in the same way as the much earlier Symphonic Poems and is delivered with the same commitment and panache as the Alpine Symphony.The quality of the recording is utterly faithful and full ranging with excellent balances. This is especially notable in its SACD format where the off-stage brass convincingly appear as if at a distance from the rear speakers. The rear speakers deliver a modest level so the effect is that of being in the audience rather than being surrounded by more equal levels as if part of the orchestra. This is a very satisfactory situation and totally realistic.In summary, this is a notable recording that adds considerably to the Strauss discography and provides a fitting tribute to the conductor. It is also a considerable achievement by the orchestra that is clearly delivering a world-class standard. This is a disc that deserves serious consideration from collectors and Strauss enthusiasts.

Strauss created some truly gorgeous music. The Alpine Symphony is a showcase of musical color - and Shipway and the Sao Paulo Symphony do an incredible job of showcasing this work - taking their place beside the great performances of the past - Karajan, Kempe, Haitnik, etc. The tempi are luxurious - but never feel slow. This is a conductor who I would like to hear more from.The other big plus here is the recorded sound. I must give credit to BIS for taking an orchestra that might not have received much attention in the past and providing them with a stage beyond Brazil. This isn't the first time that BIS has worked magic - but it says they know how to find excellence in performance and then match it with a recording worthy of the performance. An unqualified hit.

I had read a review and decided I simply wanted to listen to this -It is great.I'd recommend it to anyone who likes music .. late Romantic music .. sumptuous music.