Richard Strauss

Richard Strauss, was arguably the last great Romantic German composer, famous for his colourful symphonic poems, Operas and Lieder.
The son of a professional horn player, Strauss was musical from an early age. After receiving private tuition instruction in theory and orchestration, Strauss gained important conducting posts during the 1880's and 1890's and also developed a reputation as a progressive composer producing a series of brilliant symphonic poems including Don Juan, Ein Heldenleben and Also Sprach Zarathustra. Strauss' operas, Salome (1905) and Elektra (1906-08) brought him widespread fame and wealth. Following his Alpine Symphony (1915) Strauss composed a sequence of lyrical operas including Der Rosenkavalier, Arabella, Die Frau ohne Schatten.
Strauss remained in Germany under the Nazi regime (1933-45) and his 'apolitical' stance has provoked some debate. Following Germany's collapse Strauss composed his valedictory 'Metamorphosen'. Other late masterpieces include the elegant oboe concerto and the eternally popular Four Last Songs.