Aldeburgh Strings and Winds - R. Strauss: Metamorphosen - Financial Times

After the second world war a nostalgic mood came to pervade the music of Richard Strauss, then in his 80s. His Metamorphosen for 23 solo strings laments the destruction of Germany and its culture. His “Symphony for Wind Instruments” has a finale dedicated to “the spirit of the divine Mozart at the end of a life full of thanks”. The young musicians of Aldeburgh Strings and Aldeburgh Winds capture the former’s melancholy and the buoyant joy of the latter with equal skill. There is an enjoyable companion piece in the early “Serenade for wind, Op.7".