Recorded favourites of mine are:

#1

#2

 

Intriguingly, I listened to this work just last week:

I saw the disc on my shelf and realized I hadn't listened to it for some while. I didn't get to the Headington Concerto yet, but I did listen to the Strauss, which, as Strauss generally does for me, didn't "move" me much. Sorry, but I'm just not much of a Strauss fan, which is odd to me since I recognize the composer as one of the great orchestrators and imaginations in music. This one doesn't quite do it for me, though. But it is not what I would term "a terrible listen" or "a worthless work". In fact, many will likely like it. I do think my long time bias against the music of Richard Strauss (due, most likely I think, to having only Karajan recordings of Strauss in my youth) colors my appreciation of his works even today. There are a couple of Strauss pieces I admire greatly, including the opera Elektra, but at least half of that affection is because I relish Greek tragedy. I'll give the Violin Concerto another try, maybe when I schedule a hearing of the Headington.

 

...I'll give the Violin Concerto another try, maybe when I schedule a hearing of the Headington.

OK, so I did exactly that -- gave the Concerto another try.

The recording with violinist Xue-Wei is well produced, and the violinist and conductor/orchestra certainly sound committed to the work. Note that there is little to nothing of the "sound" of mature Richard Strauss in this piece. It is, after all, a teenage composition (Opus 8), which demonstrates that young Strauss was quite talented. Shades of mid-century High Romantics show up: Schumann and Mendelssohn among them. This concerto is not distinctive (to me) in any particular way; its emphasis seems more on violinistic fireworks than on overall cohesion with the orchestra, sort of like a Paganini concerto or a lesser work by Bruch or Vieuxtemps. I must say I do enjoy the best work of Bruch and Vieuxtemps, and of many a High Romantic violin concerto. I have added the first 21 discs of the Hyperion set "The Romantic Violin Concerto" to my collection and the Strauss fits in well with the overall quality of these, mostly, lesser known violin concertos, though the Hyperion set does include several masterpieces. Interestingly, the Strauss D minor concerto shows up on Volume 16 of the Hyperion set, coupled with Busoni's Concerto in D Major and another shorter work by Busoni.

Back to the Strauss.... The first movement is rather dramatic with a good contrast between the "dramatic theme" and the second or "lyric theme". The second movement is a quietly melodic Lento ma non troppo, not really distinguishable in any particular way and hardly memorable in melody, but pleasant enough nonetheless, though it didn't excite me to put it on immediate repeat, something I have done often through the years upon hearing a work of distinguishing quality. The final movement is a Paganini-like showcase for the violinist. Again, nothing "Straussian" in the sound, and one familiar with the great tone poems of the composer's later years would be hard pressed to identify this as a Richard Strauss composition upon a first (or even second or third) hearing. If one likes mid-19th century romanticism, this works well. Just don't expect to be whistling its tunes right away.

In the end, I rate this as a pleasant concerto, worth a listen or two, and a visit every once in a while (more likely by way of different interpretations), and since I've now listened to it twice in two weeks I can put it away for some while. After all, there are plenty of violin concertos out there, and I haven't heard them all by any means, and there are many "old favorites" that I revisit often.

By the way, the Hyperion recording features Tanja Becker-Bender on violin with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and Garry Walker conducting. I have not yet listened to this disc, so I likely will revisit the Strauss Concerto sooner than I normally might. (I believe I have a couple other recordings of the work in my current collection, so it's worth comparing to see what might happen at the hands of other performing artists.) And let me not discourage any listener out there: especially if you are a Richard Strauss fan, hear this concerto. It will likely surprise you, and possibly please you greatly. (I will admit to preferring the more contemporary Headington Concerto, coupled with the Strauss on the ASV disc shown in my prior post. It is Korngold like in a cinematic way, and a touch more astringent in its harmonies and orchestration, like modern film music, but certainly not challenging to the ears. Headington is a British composer who studied with Lennox Berkeley and wrote the Concerto in 1959. I recommend the ASV disc for that concerto. Consider the Strauss as a pleasing bonus.)

 

I have that Hyperion CD as well. For me it is pleasant, but not outstanding in any way.