Franz Welser-Most

The Cleveland Orchestra & Franz Welser-Möst – Prokofiev: Symphony No. 5 (2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 42:53 minutes | 790 MB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Cleveland Orchestra

Written during the final months of World War II, Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5 was described by the composer as “a symphony of the greatness of the human spirit, a song of praise of free and happy mankind.” While these words must be taken with a grain of salt — more likely to have been generated by an apparatchik than Prokofiev himself — melody, rhythmic invention, and unfettered delight abound within this beloved work.

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The Cleveland Orchestra & Franz Welser-Möst – Schubert: Symphony No. 9 in C Major “The Great” – Křenek: Static and Ecstatic (2020)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/88,2 kHz | Time – 01:17:02 minutes | 1,24 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Cleveland Orchestra

This new album is the second release from the conductor Franz Welser-Möst and his Cleveland Orchestra on Welser-Möst’s own label. It also marks their final performances before their entire tour around Europe and the UAE was cancelled due to coronavirus. This recording took place on March 12, 2020 in front of a few donors and staff members under Ohio’s strict state rules. This feeling permeates Franz Welser-Möst’s rendition of Andante con moto from Schubert’s 9th Symphony and it sounds as though the conductor is conscious of the fact that this would the last time he would be conducting his orchestra for a while. This gives the calm, quiet work a very personal twist. The album also includes a work by Ernst Krenek commissioned for the Swiss patron Paul Sacher in 1972. Static and Extatic consists of ten short movements for chamber orchestra, percussion and piano. They are like musical haikus, each one lasting between one and three minutes. They are written in a serial style and present a retrospective of Ernst Krenek’s compositional technique that he developed throughout his long career. The resulting atmosphere is unexpected, enchanting and truly poetic. – François Hudry

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Technical Specs
Blu-ray
BD-25 Single-Layer Disc
Video Resolution/Codec
1080i/AVC MPEG-4
Aspect Ratio(s)
1.78:1
Audio Formats
DTS-HD MA 5.1 (48 kHz / 2403 kbps / 24-bit)
LPCM 2.0 (48 kHz / 2304 kbps / 24-bit)
Subtitles/Captions
None
Supplements
Pre-concert talk with Dee Perry, Franz Welser-Möst and William Cosel
With its majestic themes soaring upwards like gothic pillars and its brilliant chorales and fanfares glowing like stained – glass windows, Anton Bruckner’s Symphony No. 8 is the most monumental of his orchestral works, a cathedral in sound that grows out of pianissimo murmurs. Coming after the triumphs celebrated by the composer’s Seventh Symphony and Te Deum, the Eight was considered by Bruckner as the artistic climax of his career. Cleveland‘s Severance Hall is the venue for this performance. This hall, an eclectic yet elegant mix of Art Deco, Art Nouveau, Classicism, Egyptian Revival and Modernism was inaugurated in 1931 and is still hailed today as one of the world‘s most beautiful concert halls. The Cleveland Orchestra, founded in 1918, began its ascent to the upper ranks of the world‘s ensembles after it moved to Severance Hall in 1931.
Recorded live at Severance Hall, Cleveland, August 2010.

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The Cleveland Orchestra, Franz Welser-Möst – Richard Strauss: Three Tone Poems (2022)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 45:42 minutes | 855 MB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © The Cleveland Orchestra and Musical Arts Association

This fourth release for The Cleveland Orchestra’s own label again showcases the unparalleled artistry, refined Polish, and emotional power of this ensemble under the direction of Franz Welser-Möst. The album features three of Richard Strauss’s early tone poems, providing a tantalizing window into Welser-Möst’s reputation as a renowned conductor of Strauss’s music. Strauss wrote a total of nine tone poems-orchestral works that depict a storyline. Don Juan and Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks are among his earliest successes and became instant hits with audiences worldwide. These Cleveland Orchestra recordings were captured in September and October 2021. The album includes a 40-page booklet featuring an essay by Franz Welser-Möst about Strauss’s tone poems and artistry, along with program notes about each piece and an overview of Strauss’ career and legacy.

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