Richard Strauss loved big orchestras. He was a contemporary of Gustav Mahler, and both of them supersized their scores. Known for his symphonic poems early in his career, Strauss always wanted to write opera. His breakthrough came in 1900, with Salome, a Biblical drama based on a play by Oscar Wilde. It was hugely successful, not least because it was scandalous. But Strauss also worked on a smaller scale, and some of his best-loved compositions are his songs.
Strauss had a long life, passing through the Nazi period, not unscathed. His last compositions are among his most famous: Metamorphoses for string orchestra and the orchestral song cycle Four Last Songs.
Read about Strauss’s life and career, listen to music, watch video, and more at the SFCV Composer Gallery page