Richard Strauss (1864–1949) was a German composer and conductor, one of the key figures of late Romanticism and early modern music. He is regarded as one of the most virtuoso orchestrators in history, able to paint the subtlest images and the stormiest dramas by means of the orchestra.
World fame came to him through his tone poems — “Also sprach Zarathustra” (whose majestic opening became iconic through film), “Don Juan,” “Till Eulenspiegel,” and “Ein Heldenleben.” No less outstanding is Strauss the opera composer: his “Salome,” “Elektra,” and especially the refined “Der Rosenkavalier” entered the world repertoire forever. Richard Strauss's work is a brilliant bridge between the Romantic tradition of the 19th century and the musical explorations of the 20th.
