Paavo Järvi - Richard Strauss: Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme, Duett-Concertino, Sextett from Capriccio (2004)

In no piece is the competition very wide because there never have been many recordings of the Der Bürger als Edelmann, the Duetto-Concertino, or even the Sextet from the Capriccio by Richard Strauss. But in every piece, the competition is as good as it gets with Fritz Reiner and the Chicago Symphony on one Der Bürger and Herbert von Karajan and the Philharmonia on the Sextet. But despite the odds, Paavo Järvi and the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie of Bremen perform as well or better than the competition. Järvi is alert to the tone color, the rhythmic impetus, and the ironically affectionate edge of Der Bürger. With the wonderfully alert playing of the Kammerphilharmonie, his performance reminds one less of Strauss' Schlagobers and more of Stravinsky's Petrushka. Clarinetist Nicole Kern and Higinio Arrué are dry, witty, and warm in the Duetto and the string sextet for the Capriccio Sextet is sweet, soulful, and just a bit sentimental. The super audio sound of PentaTone Classics is close and deep and real.