Richard Strauss (1864 -1949) Aus Italien, Op. 16

Die Liebe der Danae (Symphonic fragment)
Waltz-Sequence No.2 from Der Rosenkavalier

The German composer and conductor Richard Strauss represents a remarkable extension of the work of Liszt and Wagner, of the former in the symphonic poems of his earlier career and of the latter in his operas, where he uses an orchestra of Wagnerian proportions in a framework that owes more to Mozart. Born in Munich, the son of a distinguished horn-player and his second wife, a member of a rich brewing family, Strauss enjoyed a good general education at the Ludwigsgymnasium in Munich, while pursuing musical studies with the help of distinguished colleagues of his father. Before he left school in 1882 he had already enjoyed some success as a composer , continuing during his brief period at Munich University, with the composition of a violin concerto, a horn concerto and a cello sonata. By the age of 21 he had bee