Met Orchestra/Nézet-Séguin review – messy bonbons and a hero’s triumph in a classy all-Strauss lineup

Royal Albert Hall, LondonYannick Nézet-Séguin polished up the Rosenkavalier suite then gave an exceptional reading of the composer’s self-congratulatory tone poem, while Elza van den Heever delivered a visceral account of Salome’s final scene Artistically ambitious and with an ego the size of a small planet, Richard Strauss was rarely backwards in coming forwards. When quizzed about the wisdom of depicting his 34-year-old self in music he brushed the matter aside, declaring himself no less interesting than Napoleon. The work in question, the self-congratulatory yet brilliantly conceived tone poem Ein Heldenleben, formed the second half of this all-Strauss programme. Before that, the Met Orchestra, here making their Proms debut, stayed on home turf with music from the operas. The Rosenkavalier suite, compiled by hand unknown, is frankly a mess, lurching from one bonbon to the next with never a thought for musical logic (the overblown ending is truly crass). Yannick Nézet-Séguin did a decent job of papering over the cracks, letting the music unfold naturally rather than forcing its ham-fisted transitions. The love scenes were the highlight here, the orchestra spacious and sha