Recording of the Week, Strauss and Debussy from François-Xavier Roth and the London Symphony Orchestra

Inspired by Friedrich Nietzsche's philosophical novel of the same name, Richard Strauss's mammoth tone poem, Also sprach Zarathustra, is a virtuosic test for any orchestra, one which is passed with flying colours in a sumptuous new recording from the London Symphony Orchestra under Principal Guest Conductor François-Xavier Roth.

One of the main difficulties is the sheer number of parts that the strings divide into, not least in the section entitled "Von der Wissenschaft" (Of Science and Learning), where Strauss depicts the whole compass of academic endeavour by way of a fugue utilising all twelve notes of the chromatic scale. With the double basses divided into four, once all the fugal voices get going it can be hard to prevent everything from turning to mush, and yet Roth brings great clarity even in the densest music. Later in this same section the first violins are required to shift gracefully up to a high D sharp, which in many a performance can be somewhat touch-and-go as to whether or not they are actually going to land on it cleanly, although I shouldn't have worried: not only do the LSO players flawlessly jump up to the stratosphere, but they do so with an elegance that is extremely impressive.

Speaking of surging to the top of an instrument's range, it's not only the strings who have their turn in the spotlight: there's a moment in the following passage, "Der Genesende" (The Convalescent) that demands nerves of steel from the first trumpet, with an octave leap up to a top C coming out of little more than delicately dancing flutes and piccolos. It's fearlessly done, with an equally impressive diminuendo as the trumpet subsequently sits on that high note.

The principal jewel of this recording must be the opulence of the strings, for which there can be no better example than the conclusion to "Von den Hinterweltlern" (Of the Backworldsmen), where, doubled by the organ, they gradually build in intensity to reach the most glorious of climaxes. Similarly demonstrative of their ravishing tone is the closing part of the piece: a beauteous episode of repose where, even at a relatively quiet dynamic, the LSO violins offer a luxuriant sound set against a warm bed of horns, followed by an exquisitely expressive pair of clarinets.

The final few bars are often rather precarious, with exposed chords for piccolos, flutes, and solo violin that are notoriously hard to play in tune, but I needn’t have worried here, for the intonation is spot on. Furthermore, these concluding bars demonstrate Roth’s keen attention to detail, where the implacably stoic interjections from cellos and basses, interrupting the serene B major harmony with their C natural pizzicato notes, do exactly what Strauss requests: at first piano, then pianissimo, and finally a barely audible triple p.

The dynamic gradations of the work’s famous opening are similarly expertly judged by Roth, with the three solemn intonations by the trumpets performed piano, mezzo piano, and forte as marked. These are just a few examples of something evident throughout, where Roth ensures that much of the woodwind and string detail can be heard without sacrificing the power of the mighty brass during the work’s most intense moments.

Another test of virtuosity is Debussy’s 1913 ballet, Jeux, which with its constantly-changing tempo markings needs enormous control from conductor and orchestra alike. Roth has recorded this work before with his period-instrument orchestra, Les Siècles; it’s fascinating to compare it alongside this performance and to hear the diverging characteristics that using modern instruments engenders, from the subtly different timbre of the “echo horn” effect in the very first bar, to a richer sound from the strings in general. Sitting alongside the Strauss it confirms the brilliance and flexibility of this magnificent orchestra.