R. Strauss: Ein Heldenleben, Op. 40, TrV 190 & Macbeth, Op. 23, TrV 163

Featuring

Andrés Orozco-Estrada
hr-Sinfonieorchester
Richard Strauss

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Critical Reception

Despite its innovative nature, Macbeth remains one of Richard Strauss's least performed orchestral works, a fact that astonished the composer himself, who dismissed harsh reviews by stating it was part of his development.

Composer Biography

Richard Strauss's compositional style took a new direction in 1886 after he became acquainted with composer and violinist Alexander Ritter, who introduced him to the writings of Schopenhauer and Wagner.

Compositional Technique

Richard Strauss's Ein Heldenleben is his longest tone poem, featuring his largest orchestra, and incorporates quotations from his earlier works like Don Juan, Macbeth, and Also sprach Zarathustra.

Performer Biography

Andrés Orozco-Estrada, the conductor, was born in Medellín, Colombia, and began his musical studies on the violin, receiving his first conducting lessons at the age of 15.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Richard Strauss believed that 'cross-pollination by means of a poetic idea' was inevitable for forward-looking instrumental music, and that composers must create a corresponding form for each new concept.

Composition History

Richard Strauss's tone poem Macbeth underwent a complex creation process, resulting in three different versions, partly due to criticism from his mentor Hans von Bülow.

Compositional Technique

In Macbeth, Richard Strauss uses the low instruments to portray the titular hero and the woodwinds to characterize Lady Macbeth, creating a 'paratactically structured form' dominated by these two central themes.