Berliner Philharmoniker, Kirill Petrenko & Diana Damrau by Strauss, Alkaen (2023/2023), Musiikinjohto Kirill Petrenko, Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, Baden-Baden, Germany

How long did musical Romanticism last? According to the general wisdom, up until Strauss’s Four Last Songs. What a swan song to a glorious 150 years! And to Strauss’s life itself, whose testament was this very piece – after having previously caricatured himself in Das Heldenleben. Strauss's Last Songs call for a “deluxe” soprano, who in “Spring” soars up from warm depths to brilliant heights as she vies with the solo violin and horn. In other words, we’re in for a treat! Diana Damrau, a regular guest at the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, once appeared here as Sophie from Der Rosenkavalier, when, we quote, she offered up “pure Straussian bliss.”