For 30 years, the answer to the question "Who's got the best recording of the delightful woodwind chamber of Strauss?" was "Edo de Waart and the Netherlands Wind Ensemble." While there have been other fine recordings, notably the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra's DG recording, de Waart and the Netherlanders were so simple, so relaxed, and so virtuosic, so unutterably charming that they were the clear first choice.
While this recording by the Ensemble Villa Musica may not be a first choice, it is mighty close. In this the second of two discs dedicated to Strauss' woodwind chamber music, the Ensemble Villa Musica has the same sort of simple grace and easy virtuosity that distinguished de Waart and the Netherlanders. If the Netherlanders are possibly a bit more fun, the Ensemble Villa Musica is possibly a bit more beautiful. If the Netherlanders are perhaps a little more suave, the Ensemble Villa Musica is perhaps a little more beguiling. And if the Netherlanders' Philips' recorded sound is rich, warm, and deep, the Villa Musica's MD&G sound is crisp, clear, and real. While it may or may not be a first choice, the Ensemble Villa Musica's recording is well worth hearing for anyone who loves Strauss' woodwind chamber music.
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