R. Strauss: Tone Poems, Vol. 5

Featuring

François-Xavier Roth
SWR Sinfonieorchester des Südwestrundfunks
Richard Strauss

Did you know?

1/7

Compositional Technique

Nine bars before the end of Metamorphosen, Richard Strauss quotes the funeral march theme from Beethoven's 'Eroica' Symphony No. 3, marking it 'IN MEMORIAM!' in the score.

Compositional Technique

The Symphonia domestica uses three main thematic groups to characterize the composer, his wife Pauline (a celebrated singer), and their son Franz, known as 'Bubi'.

Composition History

Richard Strauss's Metamorphosen was inspired by the devastation of the Second World War, particularly the destruction of the National Theatre in Munich, his long-time workplace.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Richard Strauss ignored the traditional dichotomy between symphonic poems (programmatic) and symphonies (absolute music) in his Symphonia domestica, creating a 'symphonic portrait of myself and of my family'.

Performer Biography

François-Xavier Roth, the conductor on this album, founded the innovative orchestra Les Siècles in 2003, which performs programs on both modern and original instruments.

Compositional Technique

Metamorphosen, originally planned as a septet, was ultimately scored for an unusual ensemble of 23 solo strings.

Composition History

Richard Strauss initially included descriptive headings like 'Mama puts Bubi to bed' in the short score of Symphonia domestica but removed them from the final score to emphasize its artistic merit.