Leopold Ludwig conducts Strauss' Ein Heldenleben

Leopold Ludwig is one of those conductors who was well regarded in his day, but for some reason or another, have fallen into undeserved obscurity after death. His musical development was like many of his generation. Born in Witkowitz in Moravia, he attended the Vienna Conservatory studying piano under Emil Pauer. Upon graduation he worked in various opera houses in Bavaria and Czechoslovakia as a repetiteur. In 1936 he was appointed the musical director for the Oldenburg State Opera. Guest performances in Berlin and elsewhere gained him a solid reputation that led to his being named principal conductor of the Vienna State Opera in 1939 and the Berlin Municipal Opera in 1943. After the war, he continued in his post and later as a frequent guest in East Berlin's State Opera. At this point he came to the attention of EMI's Walter Legge who had visited Berlin on talent scouting trips in 1946 and 1947. Ludwig made a few records for EMI, mostly accompanying singers in opera excerpts, his best known being a recording of Act III from Wagner's Die Walküre with Birgit Nilsson that has recently been reissued in EMI's Great Recordings of the Century series. He later went on to make a series of recordings for Everest, among which this Ein Heldenleben is taken, and later still for Deutsche Grammophon where he recorded Hindemith's opera Mathis der Maler. He assumed the directorship of the Hamburg State Opera in 1950 where he would remain until his retirement in 1971. In later years he guest conducted at various orchestras. He died in Lüneburg, West Germany in 1978.

Ludwig was the sort of dependable solid kapellmeister that was taken for granted in his day one rarely finds now. Not seeking to be ostentatious, he was content with simply letting the music pur out from his orchestra. In style, he was similar to Carl Schuricht, Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt, and Karl Böhm.

This recording of Ein Heldenleben is truly a forgotten gem. Out-of-print for years now, it not only is a grand and rich realization of this score, but also enjoys some stunning sonics courtesy of Everest. The London Symphony Orchestra is in fine form, especially its woodwinds. The clarity of the instrumental timbres pays dividends especially in the dense Hero's Battlefield section, where the clarity makes the music all the more thrilling. The violin solos by concertmaster Hugh Maguire are lovely.

This is a record that can safely sit side-by-side with the Heldenlebens of Mengelberg, Karajan (EMI), Beecham, Haitink, and Carlos Kleiber. A must listen.