# Exploring Richard Strauss



## Stargazer (Nov 9, 2011)

I only recently heard a selection of some songs by Richard Strauss, and I have to say I was blown away! I normally find it a bit difficult to really get into lieder, but this was really good stuff. Previously the only work I had really heard by Strauss was Metamorphosen (it was good for sure, but it didn't really "stick out" for me). Anyways, I was just curious as to what some of your favorite works of his are, or what would be recommended for someone interested in exploring this composer a bit more. I always find it incredibly daunting when I first become interested in a new composer, but never know which of their multitude of works to start listening to first lol. Thanks a bunch in advance!


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## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

Welcome to the forum.

He was a master of vocal writing, eg. art-song as you say, also opera. You can't go wrong with any of those, but his operas _Elektra _& _Salome _stick out as being more adventurous and experimental than his other operas, they're the ones that are really different from his other operas, which are more or less of their time rather than pushing boundaries. Look out for some of the orchestral excerpts and suites from them as well, eg. the suites of waltzes from _Rosenkavalier _and the delightful_ Sextet _from _Capriccio_.

His tone poems are admired across the board. I'm not a huge fan of these, but_ Don Quixote_ has the added element of having concerto-like solo parts for three string instruments.

His symphonies were more things he did to fill in time between the next opera commission coming up. They are good to listen to if you like the symphonic genre, esp. of the big late romantic type. They are quite visual & atmospheric and are like extended tone poems in some ways.

My favourites are his works done after 1945, which show more intimacy and an element of reflection and putting his own experiences/emotions & the present world events into the music, not just things of the past -

_Four Last Songs
Concerto for Oboe and Small Orchestra
Metamorphosen for 23 solo strings_

There are other people here that can give you what they think, I think with any composer new to you just go off your own bat, go by instinct, or maybe just listen to genres which you like first (or solely). There's different ways of doing this, not just one way.

Another idea is to read the info on various threads on R. Strauss on this forum...


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## Chi_townPhilly (Apr 21, 2007)

Sid James said:


> His tone poems are admired across the board.


The opening bars of _Also Sprach Zarathustra_ are on anyone's short-list of most familiar Classical Music tunes. The work deserves hearing in full (for anybody who hasn't done so).

The more 'mature' R. Strauss devoted much of his later compositional energies to opera, including _Der Rosenkavalier_, a work that I think is the greatest German-language opera written since Wagner put down his pen.

Most people first get into R. Strauss via the tone poems. However (given your apparent appreciation of vocals), if you're receptive to opera, he has multiple standard repertory operas- and lots of people find _them_ rewarding, too.


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## tannhaeuser (Nov 7, 2011)

No one mentioned much tone poems?

I think these are some of his best works. Tod und Verklärung (which has a direct link to his Four Last Songs), Don Juan, Alpinesinfonie, Also sprach Zarathustra.

His concerti are fine, such as his oboe concerto and horn concerti (of which I prefer the second).

Amongst his Lied, I favour especially his Four Last Songs. Whilst _In Abendrot_ is by far the most popular, and also one of my favourite, the 2nd and 3rd are great too. Besides that set, other great Lied includes Cäcilie, Das Bachlein, Ruhe meine Seele, Wiegenlied.

His operas differ in appreciation. The more Classically orientated would prefer his Rosenkavalier, as do I. The more adventurous would try Salome and Elektra, moving in their own ways. The Dance of the Seven Veils in Salome was a favourite of mine for a long time.

That sums up his œvre, happy listening.


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## maxshrek (Sep 14, 2011)

Stargazer said:


> I only recently heard a selection of some songs by Richard Strauss, and I have to say I was blown away! I normally find it a bit difficult to really get into lieder, but this was really good stuff. Previously the only work I had really heard by Strauss was Metamorphosen (it was good for sure, but it didn't really "stick out" for me). Anyways, I was just curious as to what some of your favorite works of his are, or what would be recommended for someone interested in exploring this composer a bit more. I always find it incredibly daunting when I first become interested in a new composer, but never know which of their multitude of works to start listening to first lol. Thanks a bunch in advance!


Try with Don Juan, in my opinion the most enjoyable and most compelling of his tone poems. As regard the operistic output, Strauss do his best in works like Salomè and Elektra where he is everything except a conservative composer. You will find in Ariadne auf Naxos the first work in which neoclassical elements that will be fully explored in his less interesting period (the one collocated among the 2 world wars) are superbly developed. Obviously the Rosenkavalier is a masterpiece of first rate, and i'm intending about the Libretto and the Music both. His adieu to the genre is imho the best of his operas, as Metamorphosen is the most representative of his tone poems.
But all Strauss output deserve a hearing, at least: for instance, the Burleske is not among his masterpieces but it's a Piano concerto in one movement that doesn't look like anything else.


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## Itullian (Aug 27, 2011)

I percieve something decadent in his music. I can't really explain it, but it's there. I enjoy his works when in the right mood. Awesome orchestration, of course. A genius, yes.

Go with the tone poems. Kempe adds warmth to them.


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## mmsbls (Mar 6, 2011)

I would generally second most of the suggestions above. His tone poems can be wonderful, and I especially like Eine Alpensinfonie, Tod Und Verklarung, and Also Sprack Zarathustra. The oboe concerto and Four Last Songs are simply lovely. I also love Metamorphosen.

Although chamber works are not often mentioned with Strauss, I think both the Piano Quartet in C minor and the Piano Trio No. 2 are well worth hearing.

Welcome to TC.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

I would suggest getting the EMI Kempe 9-disc set of orchestral works - now re-released on Brilliant at a knock-down price. It includes all of the tone poems, the major concertos, Sinfonia Domestica, the Alpine Symphony and also the three major works for piano/orchestra. Not only that, but you also get the sublime Metamorphosen, the Dance of the Seven Veils from Salome, a dance suite after Couperin and a curiosity called Schlagobers ('whipped cream') which was one work that nearly damaged his reputation due to its frivolous nature being at odds with post-WWI austerity measures. It may seem like I'm overloading you too much in one go but you won't regret it - just get it and WALLOW - this set will last you for the rest of your life! Supplement this with the EMI disc of Four Last Songs a.o. (Schwarzkopf/Szell). You will need some operas as well, of course - I have three of them but I'll let the more seasoned Straussians advise you there.


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## Vaneyes (May 11, 2010)




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## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

His 1st horn concerto was composed for his father, who was a virtuoso on the natural horn. The 2nd horn concerto is for the valved horn, so is more complicated. I enjoy both of them. The oboe concerto is a late work, and sounds it. I enjoy that piece too. I enjoyed all of the tone poems at one time, but appreciation for the 'light' ones has drifted away; I am left with Also Sprach Zarathustra and Metamorphosen, which are excellent mood setters. The Four Last Songs, particularly as sung by Jessye Norman, are very much mood setters.

And then there are the [_shudder_] operas. :devil:

A possibly superficial note: R. Strauss' music is justly famous for its rich orchestrations. As you might expect, the recording and the sound system can add or subtract _significantly_ from your appreciation of the music. As is usually the case, live performances have the highest potential. The first bars of 'Also Sprach' must be pretty damn awesome in a good hall.

:tiphat:


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## Tapkaara (Apr 18, 2006)

I love Four Last Songs, surely some of my favorite lieder. The Horn Concerti are great. Even his early Violin Concerto has great moments. Death and Transfiguration is probably my favorite of the tone poems.

I am not an opera person so I am not familiar with his opera output. I have a full recording of Ariadne auf Naxos on vinyl that I have yet to listen to.


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## Stargazer (Nov 9, 2011)

Thanks a bunch for the suggestions everyone, I have already listened to several and they are very nice! The rest of them should give me something fun to look forward to on a rainy day


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## StlukesguildOhio (Dec 25, 2006)

Richard Strauss is my favorite composer of the 20th century. I do not know which lieder you came upon, but the _Four Last Songs_, mentioned by several others, are perhaps his greatest achievement in the form... and IMO the greatest song cycle of the century. I have more recordings of the _Four Last Songs_ than I do of almost any other work. I would especially recommend this disc:










Renee Fleming is the great Strauss singer of our time. Currently this two disc set is dirt cheap. The set includes not only the Four Last Songs but also several other orchestral sings and highlights from Strauss operas:











Another stunning disc is this one:










Elizabeth Schwarzkopf and George Szell make for a stunning pair of Straussian interpreters. This disc includes a slew of other orchestral songs beyond the Four Last Songs:






The Jesse Norman disc seen in this video is also a magnificent recording:






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## StlukesguildOhio (Dec 25, 2006)

Strauss reputation rests upon three distinct bodies of work. He composed lieder (both orchestral and for smaller accompaniment... usually solo piano) throughout his entire career. In many ways these are underestimated by a great many classical music listeners who are more attracted to his other works to such an extent that they are really unaware of the achievement within this genre.

The second body of Strauss' work is made of of his orchestral compositions. The composer really came into full maturity after having come upon the music of Wagner which inspired his early tone poems. Also Sprach Zarthustra is certainly the most well-known... especially in this context:






But nearly all of Strauss other tone poems and other orchestral works are worthy of exploring:











Vaneyes' recommendation should not be ignored. Karajan was the consummate Strauss conductor.

The final body of Strauss oeuvre... and quite likely the greatest... is that of his operas. _Salome_ and _Elektra_ are among two of the most dramatic, emotional, and expressionistic operas of the century and George Szell's recordings cannot be surpassed... although when it comes to DVD, Teresa Stratas owns the roll of Salome:
















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## StlukesguildOhio (Dec 25, 2006)

Strauss great operatic achievements, however, are in no way limited to these two operas. _Der Rosenkavalier_ is no less marvelous:






And _Die Frau Ohne Schatten_ is no less brilliant:






While his other operas... Daphne:






Capriccio:






Ariadne auf Naxos:






It appears that this whole opera is available on YouTube!

Contrary to Strauss own humble opinion of himself as a second-rate composer, he is a first rate composer all the way. You can hardly go wrong no matter where you begin.


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## Tapkaara (Apr 18, 2006)

StLuke- I admire your passion for Strauss!


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## Chi_townPhilly (Apr 21, 2007)

Some Sr. Moderators have some Richard Strauss enthusiasm, too-

See here, and here!


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## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

*@ stargazer *- If you like R. Strauss, you might want to listen to some music of Zemlinsky. His _6 Songs after Poems by Maeterlinck, Op.13_, is a favourite of mine and highly regarded (since you talked about R. Strauss' art-songs). Kind of late romantic but also touched by Debussy and Ravel, as far as I can hear. HERE is one of them on youtube, I think the others are on there as well. Bear in mind that this performance is kind of heavy and more romanticised than the one I've got, but it's still very good...


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## HarpsichordConcerto (Jan 1, 2010)

I think Richard Strauss was the finest 20th century composer, along with Mahler and Rachmaninov. I love ranking composers. It's my full time hobby.


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## Air (Jul 19, 2008)

Richard Strauss was the golden sunset of late Romanticism, the great farewell of a tradition that influenced art, literature, and music probably more than any other in history. The greatest selling point in Strauss's music is the quality that he was able to produce - after the innovations of Beethoven, Berlioz, and Wagner he stretched the orchestra to its full potential and utilized the human voice to utter rapture. As St. Lukes mentioned, and I would be hard-pressed to find anything to add on to his wonderful comments here, it was in opera that orchestra and voice could aid each other best to reach a potential that neither one could reach alone. Though _Elektra_ and _Salome_ are the most scandalous and probably most "discussed" of his operas, I still stand by the opinion that _Der Rosenkavalier_ is musically, at least for me, the most wonderful. In many ways it connects the paths that Mozart and Wagner had each walked - blending the comic, domestic aspects of Mozart's theatre work with the flawless ecstasy one expects from Wagner's super-dramas. There are many famous renditions of this opera available, but two by the venerable conductor Carlos Kleiber have reached particular acclaim. The following version, which can be found on YouTube as a whole, is probably the top pick, featuring such artists as Lucia Popp, Brigitte Fassbaender, and Gwyneth Jones in their prime (with Pavarotti as a side role!):






A must see on YouTube for anyone who loves Strauss's tone poems is this visual rendition of _Eine Alpensinfonie_:






The power of Strauss's alpine music never fails to take my breath away. I think it is safe to say, that for the listener, the music means much more than just a soundtrack to a hike in the Alps. It calls for one to bask in nature's glory, in its beauty, the little things and the big things. Every instrument can deliver such a part that makes it an instrument of nature. We are reminded of our own lives - the birth, the youth, the summit, the decline, and the golden sunset. Unlike many other composers of pastoral symphonic poems, Strauss always seeks to reveal more than what is apparent in the scenery - he uses his skill in orchestration, motive development, and natural talent for beauty to transcend this and provide a greater truth about existence.

My other favorite tone poems are _Death and Transfiguration_, _Ein Heldenleben_, and the surprisingly not yet mentioned _Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks_, which I would have expected to be one of his most popular. It is certainly the wittiest, an almost light-hearted picaresque adventure, that touches on something wonderful without ever having to think too hard about it.

For lieder, one can't do better in the world than Strauss's _Four Last Songs_. Sopranos Elisabeth Schwarzkopf and Gundula Janowitz have become quite renowned for their recordings of these lieder. Though Strauss wrote mainly for more abstract forms, I would definitely recommend his concertos too, especially for those who have a difficult time digesting the long, drawn-out style of his operas and tone poems. The oboe concerto for me is like Vaughan Williams with an extra jolt of wizardry. Both his horn concertos look to the past for inspiration. Finally, his _Burleske_ for Piano and Orchestra is worth a mention, and has been a secret favorite of a few of the greatest pianists of the 20th century, namely Serkin and Argerich.


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## superhorn (Mar 23, 2010)

Franz Strauss, (1822- 1905), father of Richard, was not a natural horn specialist, because the valved horn was already the norm by the time he achieved a reputation as the foremost horn player in Germany.
He served as principal horn of the Munich Court opera(now the Bavarian State opera) for 
decades , and even wrote a number of works himself, including a horn concerto which has been recorded by Barry Tuckwell . Richard learned everything he knew about writing for the horn from him . 
The elder Strauss hated the music of Wagner and was a die hard conservative who 
rejected all of Wagner's innovations in harmony etc. But he still played the juicy if extremely demanding horn parts of the Ring, Tristan and Die Meistersinger magnificently,
and Wagner acknowledged this gratefully , even though he found him to be very disagreeable personally. The two could not stand each other .


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## jflatter (Mar 31, 2010)

I also love Strauss. Like CTP I would point you in the direction of Der Rosenkavalier. The Solti and Karajan recordings are as good as you can get. I think in relation to tone poems, Karajan's set is a great starting point. Four Last Songs is probably my favourite Strauss piece, as it is great late composers music. It's almost like his own mini Parsifal. The Szell recording mentioned by St Lukes is probably my favourite Strauss recording.

Talking about this thread is whetting my appetite for the concert I am seeing with the Philharmonia in a couple of weeks.
The programme includes Don Juan, Four Last Songs and Till Eulenspiegel. Plus Mozart 25 thrown in  with von Dohnanyi conducting.


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