Richard Strauss (1864-1949) was a German composer and conductor whose career bridged the late Romantic era and the early twentieth century. He made his name with a series of vivid orchestral tone poems - Don Juan, Tod und Verklärung, Also sprach Zarathustra, Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche - before turning to opera, where Salome, Elektra and Der Rosenkavalier secured his place in the permanent repertoire. His partnership with librettist Hugo von Hofmannsthal produced some of the most performed operas of the modern stage, and his Vier letzte Lieder (1948) stand as one of the most moving farewells in all of Western music.
The Richard-Strauss-Tage festival ran 6-14 June 2026 in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, featuring symphony concerts with the Stuttgarter Philharmoniker and a new chamber-orchestra version of Salome.
The 2026 festival's closing concert on 14 June presented the world concert premiere of Salome in a chamber-orchestra arrangement by Klemens Vereno.
The Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin performed Strauss's Eine Alpensinfonie at the Philharmonie Berlin in April 2026.
The 2025 Richard Strauss Days in Garmisch-Partenkirchen (21-29 June) included orchestral and chamber concerts, a Lieder evening, dance projects and masterclasses.
Richard Strauss's classic opera "Der Rosenkavalier" performed by the Cologne Opera ensemble.
Richard Strauss's operatic masterpiece performed on the main stage of Deutsche Oper Berlin.
Richard Strauss's operatic masterpiece performed on the main stage of Deutsche Oper Berlin.
