In the realm of song, Richard Strauss was definitely the poet’s poet. His chief inspiration came from literary sources, and as soon as a line caught his eye, it immediately became associated with a musical idea in his mind. Then, he said, “I put it on paper and extend it to a paragraph of eight to 16 to 32 bars. ... After some maturing, it is gradually worked out into the final shape.” The result, in the words of one music historian, was “little marvels of caprice, iridescence, fiery ebullience and strong emotion.” It’s fitting, then, that Strauss’ adieu to music and life was “Four Last Songs,” set to Joseph von Eichendorf’s poem “Im Abend” (“At Sunset”), and Hermann Hesse’s “Spring,” “September” and “Going to Sleep.” All of these works share the common theme of death, always a preoccupation of the gloomy Teutonic mind, but “Four Last Songs” dispenses with the... More >>>