“In Vienna we have hunger and art. It is because we have lost so much that we cling so keenly to what can be retained:Our Art. This must survive.” Richard Strauss

Raised in the safety of the Empire, when he died in 1949, “the world of yesterday” had disappeared after two world wars and the rise and fall of the Third Reich.

His profoundly German soul held a large space for his beloved Vienna. Endowed with unparalleled melodic inspiration and an original sense of humor, Strauss was the architect of one of the greatest contributions in the history of music to opera, the symphonic repertoire, and the lied. His innovative compositions combined complex harmonies and rich orchestrations with a profound message centered on human psychology, relationships, and social problems such as love, revenge, and power, seasoned with his signature satirical or fantastical touch.

A musical illustrator, storyteller, and creator of images and atmospheres, through the study of his works, we will analyze the close relationship between the dramatic expression of his musical and aesthetic approach and the currents of thought and artistic movements that emerged in the first half of the 20th century, such as Symbolism, Expressionism, and the avant-garde.

And above all, we will enjoy the captivating power of his music.

Program: From October 7th to March 27th

Class 1 – Presentation

Class 2 – Germany at the End of the Century: The Formation of Strauss. Serenade for Wind Instruments, Op. 7

Class 3 – To Preserve or Break with Tradition: A New Symphony. Don Juan, Op. 20

Class 4 – The First Great Symphonic Poem: Death and Transfiguration, Op. 24

Class 5 – Humor and Irony: The Merry Pranks of Till Eulenspiegel, Op. 28

Class 6 – The Chivalric Ideal: Don Quixote, Op. 35

Class 7 – Philosophy Turned into Music: Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Op. 30

Class 8 – Richard Strauss and Hugo von Hofmannsthal: The Conception of Musical Theater

Class 9 – Transgression: Salome, Op. 54

Class 10 – Expressionism in Music: Elektra, Op. 58

Class 11 – Nostalgia: Der Rosenkavalier, Op. 59

Class 12 – Ariadne on Naxos, Op. 60

Class 13 – Myth and Redemption: The Woman Without a Shadow, Op. 65

Class 14 – Symbolism in Strauss Operas

Class 15 – Treatment of the Voice

Class 16 – Arabella, Op. 79, Daphne, Op. 82, and Capriccio, Op. 85. Part 1

Class 17 – Arabella, Op. 79, Daphne, Op. 82, and Capriccio, Op. 85. Part 2

Class 18 – Strauss and “The Others”: Mahler, Schoenberg, and Hindemith

Class 19 – Pain and Retrospection: Metamorphosen, Op. 142

Class 20 – Four Last Lieder, Op. 15

Class 21 – Epilogue