IDAGIO | R. Strauss: Ein Heldenleben - Tod und Verklärung 4025438080925

Featuring

Kent Nagano
Göteborgs Symfoniker
Richard Strauss

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Composer's Artistic Vision

Richard Strauss himself provided a detailed program for 'Tod und Verklärung', describing a dying man's dreams, pain, reflection on his life, and the soul's transfiguration after death.

Composition History

Strauss's first opera, 'Guntram', was a spectacular failure in 1894, but he married the singer Pauline von Ahna, to whom he was engaged on the morning of the premiere, soon after.

Critical Reception

The Gothenburg Symphony's 2015 performances of 'Ein Heldenleben' with Kent Nagano were highly acclaimed by critics, with one reviewer noting the orchestra's 'unified and vigorous sound'.

Notable Performances

Richard Strauss's works have been a mainstay of the Gothenburg Symphony's repertoire since its first season in 1905-1906, with 'Don Juan' being played then.

Compositional Technique

In 'Ein Heldenleben', Strauss portrays his adversaries, interpreted as music critics, with a motif in parallel fifths (strictly forbidden in counterpoint) in the bass trombone and bass tuba.

Performer Biography

The Gothenburg Symphony, the National Orchestra of Sweden, was founded in 1905 and was called 'one of the world's most formidable orchestras' by The Guardian.

Composer Biography

Richard Strauss, the composer, was 34 years old when he wrote the symphonic poem 'Ein Heldenleben' in 1898, at the end of his time as Kapellmeister in Weimar and Munich.