# Richard Strauss - Also Sprach Zarathustra



## Muse Wanderer (Feb 16, 2014)

Richard Strauss - Also Sprach Zarathustra

Fritz Reiner and Chicago Symphony Orchestra

Living Stereo recording










This recording is fantastic!

Unbelievable fideliti, sound reproduced with such quality that I stayed with my mouth wide open during the thunderous intro.

'Sunrise' equals or even excels von Karayan's version. That bass rumble has a crescendo that is truly breathtaking. The orchestral climax shouts out the begining of humanity at its most primitive animal origins.

'Of the People of the Unseen World' is the piece that shows off how melody (humanity) takes over the opening theme (the primitive animal within us). The brain's frontal cortex takes over from the primitive limbic system.

Desire and spirituality is still entrenched over reason in 'The Great Longing' and 'Of Joys and Passions', humanity innate instincts gives rise to ages of light and darkness. The themes are turbulent and fraught with danger and illusion. 'Dirge' is the calm after the storm when the themes find peace and lead onto a quasi-resolution.

'Of Science' calm start indicates how knowledge, reason and truthfullness take over our innate primitive morality and spirituality, our desires of body and soul. The intro theme is still present but much diminuted and less impactful. The melody eventually takes centre-stage and asserts its dominance over darkness.

'The Convalescent' introduces another development where the orchestral intro bass line is omnipresent, the music is tumultuous and the intro theme atmosphere is again omnipresent. The brass and wind instruments intermix with the strings creating a feeling of expectation. Is there another change in the horizon?

Change does happen in 'Dance Song and Night Song', a piece that starts with the opening intro, probably in a different key, morphing into a melody that is joyful, triumphant and liberating. This may be indicative of Nietzsche's own characterisation of the Übermensch, the superhuman, the next evolutionary step for humanity.

The final 'Night Wanderer's Song' starts like 'Sunrise' with a prominent bass line followed by another orchestral climax this time exclaiming the arrival of the superhuman who enlightens us with a gentle soft song.

The Night Wanderer's Song is stunning, truly operatic.

It is the Übermensch within us singing his humble song to the universe.


----------

