BERTRAND CHAMAYOU

Strauss: Burleske, Ein Heldenleben Santa Cecilia Orchestra/Antonio Pappano Warner Classics 0190295028459 ★★★

Richard Strauss exposes limitations in orchestral and recording technique like few other composers, and the almost-20year-old Parco della Musica in Rome remains an uncomfortably dry and ill-focused recording venue for large projects. The Burleske is credited as a studio performance, unlike the live (and thrilling) Heldenleben, though sundry noises off from the first minute onwards distract from some spoton orchestral detailing (a well-tuned set of timpani is at least balanced as the pianist’s rightful sparring partner). Bertrand Chamayou is a scintillating soloist in the tradition of Thibaudet (Decca) and Hamelin (Hyperion), though less playful, more overtly Brahmsian approaches (Gould on Sony and Trifonov, most controversially, on BRKlassik) have their place. Provided your taste in 21-year-old Strauss runs to bubbly sekt rather than a light Austrian red you’ll enjoy Chamayou’s throwaway legerdemain in an unclassifiable jeu d’esprit, though the sound remains a problem.