Richard Strauss: An Owner's Manual (Unlocking the Masters)

The life and music of Richard Strauss (1864-1949) span what was arguably the most turbulent period in human history, encompassing the Franco-Prussian War, the unification of Germany, and two world wars. He was one of the very last composers to have started his career in service to the old European aristocracy, but near the end of his life, the continent lay in shambles, and he faced financial ruin even as he remained Germany's greatest living composer. Virtually from the day they were written, Strauss's tone poems from the late nineteenth century works such as Don Juan , Till Eulenspiegel , Also Sprach Zarathustra , and Death and Transfiguration have been repertory standards. So have the operas Salome , Elektra , and Der Rosenkavalier . And yet a tremendous quantity of very good music, both early and late, has only recently come to the attention of musicians and music lovers alike. This owner's manual accompanied by a full-length CD, surveys all the major works with symphonies, concertos, tone poems, operas, ballets, suites, and songs. Many of them will be new even to listeners familiar with the popular pieces, part of a vast legacy of immaculately crafted, beautiful music that deserves to be rediscovered and treasured. Cover......Page 1 Copyright......Page 3 Contents......Page 4 Preface......Page 5 Acknowedgements......Page 7 Introduction......Page 9 Part 1 Orchestral Music Without Voices......Page 16 Symphonies, Concertos, and Serenades......Page 17 Two Symphonies......Page 18 Concerto for Violin, Horn, Piano, and Oboe, and a Woodwind Duet......Page 20 Serenades for Wind Emsemble......Page 25 Tone Poems I: People......Page 26 Macbeth (1888-91)......Page 28 Don Juan (1888)......Page 30 Till Eulenspiegels Lustige Streiche (Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks) (1894-95)......Page 31 Don Quixote (1897)......Page 33 Ein Heldenleben (A Hero's Life) (1898)......Page 35 Symphonia Domestica (1903)......Page 37 Aus Italien (From Italy) (1886)......Page 39 Also sprach Zarathustra (Thus Spoke Zarathustra) (1896)......Page 40 An Alpine Symphony (1915)......Page 43 Tod und Verklärung (Death and Transfiguration) (1889)......Page 46 Metamorphosen: Study for 23 Solo Strings (1945)......Page 47 Part 2 Theatrical and Vocal Music (Operas, Ballets, Suites, and Songs)......Page 49 Strauss and the German Operatic Tradition......Page 50 The Greek Operas: Six Heroines......Page 53 Strauss/Gluck: Iphigenie auf Tauris (1890)......Page 54 Elektra (1908)......Page 55 Ariadne auf Naxos (1912-16)......Page 57 Die Ägyptische Helena (The Egyptian Helen) (1928)......Page 59 Daphne (1938)......Page 61 Die Liebe der Danae (Danae's Love) (1940)......Page 63 Der Rosenkavalier (The Knight of the Rose) (1911)......Page 65 Le bourgeois gentilhomme (1912; Suite: 1920)......Page 68 Schlagobers (Whipped Cream) (1921-22)......Page 69 Arabella (1932)......Page 71 Capriccio (1942)......Page 73 Salome (1905)......Page 75 Josephs Legende (1914)......Page 78 Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman Without a Shadow) (1919)......Page 80 Feuersnot (Fire Shortage) (1901)......Page 84 Intermezzo (1924)......Page 86 Die schweigsame Frau (The Silent Woman) (1935)......Page 88 Friedenstag (Day of Peace) (1938)......Page 90 Guntram (1894)......Page 91 Over Forty Gorgeous Songs wth Orchestra (Who Knew?)......Page 94 Conclusion......Page 98 Appendix: Starting a Strauss Collection......Page 99 CD Track Listing......Page 101 The life and music of Richard Strauss (1864-1949) span what was arguably the most turbulent period in human history, encompassing the Franco-Prussian War, the unification of Germany, and two world wars. He was one of the very last composers to have started his career in service to the old European aristocracy, but near the end of his life, the continent lay in shambles, and he faced financial ruin even as he remained Germany's greatest living composer. Virtually from the day they were written, Strauss's tone poems from the late nineteenth century--works such as Don Juan, Till Eulenspiegel, Also Sprach Zarathustra, and Death and Transfiguration--have been repertory standards. So have the operas Salome, Elektra, and Der Rosenkavalier. And yet a tremendous quantity of very good music, both early and late, has only recently come to the attention of musicians and music lovers alike. This "owner's manual," accompanied by a full-length CD, surveys all the major works with orchestra: symphonies, concertos, tone poems, operas, ballets, suites, and songs. Many of them will be new even to listeners familiar with the popular pieces, part of a vast legacy of immaculately crafted, beautiful music that deserves to be rediscovered and treasured. -- [Publisher description] Introduction. A first-class second-rate composer? Orchestral music without voices. Symphonies, concertos, and serenades ; Tone poems I : people ; Tone poems II : places and things Theatrical and vocal music (operas, ballets, suites, and songs). Strauss and the German operatic tradition ; The Greek operas : six heroines: Iphigenia, Elektra, Ariadne, Helen, Daphne, and Danae ; Old Vienna (and Paris) : Der Rosenkavalier, Le bourgeois gentilhomme, Schlagobers, Couperin suites, Arabella, and Capriccio ; Exoticism and eroticism : Salome, Josephs Legende, and Die Frau ohne Schatten ; Domestic comedies : Feuersnot, Intermezzo, and Die schweigsame Frau ; War and peace : Friedenstag and Guntram ; Over forty gorgeous songs with orchestra (who knew?) Appendix. Starting a Strauss collection.