There’s never been a shortage of recordings of Richard Strauss, but this intriguing series promises to be a little different. As music director of Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra, English-born conductor Alexander Shelley has asked a handful of living Canadian composers to respond to one of the great German composer’s famous tone poems.

Ad Astra, as it’s subtitled, is the project’s first fruit. On this first volume, Don Juan is the leap-off point for Kelly-Marie Murphy, while Kevin Lau takes a polytheistic look at Death and Transfiguration. 

But first, the Strauss. Shelley’s way with these frequently recorded works is textbook, which is to say excellent. A fizzy Don Juan races out of the traps, lean and shapely. There’s plenty of texture here, and thanks to Analekta’s detailed engineering it comes across as refreshingly natural. Death and Transfiguration has an enthralling, impressionist sheen, freeing the score of some of its blatant Wagnerisms. Again, Shelley’s ear for balance and effect is keen and the orchestral performance is splendid.

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