A Hero’s Life and Le Bourgeois gentilhomme after the play by Molière… Difficult to find in the vast catalogue of Strauss are two works so diametrically opposed, between the epic and triumphant tone poem and the delicate pastiche of a baroque dance suite (initially meant as an intermezzo for Ariadne auf Naxos)! Simon Rattle proves he feels at ease on all types of terrains and beautifully captures the spirit of these pieces.