Strauss, Richard

1864-1949
As a child he studied piano and violin. He studied harmony, counterpoint, instrumentation, under the direction of F. V. Meyer. First conducting skills obtained in an amateur orchestra. He has performed with orchestras in Meiningen, Berlin, led the orchestras of the State Opera in Dresden and in Vienna. From 1924 on tour in Europe (in Russia in 1896) and in the United States, appeared in Bayreuth Festival. In the 1901-09 chairman Vsegermanskogo Musical Union in 1917-20 Head of the class composing skills in the Berlin Academy of Arts.

Leading genre works by Strauss in 1880-ies. -symphonic poem or a fantasy, since 1900 - Opera (6 in total, many of the opera created in collaboration with the Austrian playwright X. Hofmannsthal). Works by Strauss, is closely connected with the traditions of romantic art (P. Wagner and. Brahms EF. Sheet), German poetry and philosophy (and. V. Goethe,. Eyhendorf, A. Schopenhauer, EF. Nietzsche), reflected the typical trend of Western European art, 1-st half of 20 in. Strauss has gone from late Romanticism to Expressionism, and then - to neoclassicism.
. Based on the experience of Liszt (one-part, . principles of one theme, . leitmotivs Development, . transformation themes), . Strauss created a type of symphonic poem, . in which the philosophical kontseptsionnost combined with a vivid depiction, . theatricality of musical performance,
. Many of the symphonic poems of Strauss and fantasies associated with the works of world literature ( 'Macbeth' at Y. Shakespeare, 'Don Giovanni' by N. Lenau, 'Don Quixote' by M. Cervantes) and philosophies ( 'Thus Spake Zarathustra' by F. Nietzsche). Symphonic poems close the symphony by Strauss, among which the most well known of this one 'Home' and 'Alpine', extending the line of 6-th 'Pastoral' Symphony by Beethoven and is a substantive programmatic symphonic poem.

. Operatic works by Strauss variety of different genres
. The first opera ( 'Guntram', 1893) written on the model of Wagner's music dramas. In 'Salome' (1905) and 'Elektra' (1908) close to Expressionism manifested in the aggravation of expressive means, . state of tension transmission, . sometimes exaltation (the abundance of chromaticity and detention, . elements polytonal, . polyrhythmic effects, . powerful and colorful orchestration, . enlargement of the orchestra).,

. The style change from high expressiveness and complexity of musical language to the deliberate simplicity, . transparency and economy of expressive means occurred in the opera 'Der Rosenkavalier' (1910), . demonstrate a clear language, . elegant comedy in the spirit of opera buffa in,
. A. Mozart. In line with neo-classicism also established opera 'Ariadne auf Naxos' (1912), 'silent woman' (1935), 'Daphne' (1937) and others. Various style operatic works by Strauss influenced the development of musical theater 20 century. Preserved a great epistolary heritage Strauss (published correspondence with X. Buelow, X. Gough manstalem, P. Rolland, G. Mahler, E. Shuhom AND. Gregory C. Zweig, K. Kraus, V. Shu P. Hartmann and others). Strauss also belongs to the new edition of the treatise on orchestration G. Berlioz ( 'Instrumenta-lionslehre', 1905).