IDAGIO | Strauss: Macbeth - Dance of the Seven Veils

Featuring

Gerard Schwarz
Seattle Symphony
Richard Strauss

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Composer Biography

By the age of twenty-one, Richard Strauss had been appointed assistant conductor to the well-known orchestra at Meiningen under Hans von Bülow, whom he succeeded the following year.

Performer Biography

Gerard Schwarz, the conductor on this album, recently completed 26 acclaimed years as Music Director of the Seattle Symphony.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Richard Strauss drew inspiration for Metamorphosen from his reading of Goethe, with its title alluding to Goethe's Die Metamorphose der Pflanzen and Die Metamorphose der Tieren.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Richard Strauss himself preferred the title Ton-Dichtung (tone-poem) for compositions like Macbeth, although they remain fundamentally symphonic.

Composition History

Richard Strauss dated the beginning of the composition of Metamorphosen to March 13, 1945, and its completion to April 12, 1945.

Composer Biography

Richard Strauss, the German composer, was the son of a distinguished horn-player and a member of a rich brewing family.

Historical Context

Richard Strauss's acceptance of the position of President of the new Reichsmusikkammer in 1933, established by Joseph Goebbels, brought later criticism and hostility.