Strauss, Richard

Performance History(1864–1949)

Richard Strauss (1864–1949) was a German composer and conductor whose works helped shape late Romantic and early 20th-century opera. Best known for Salome, Elektra, and Der Rosenkavalier, Richard Strauss wrote operas that combine lush orchestration with psychological drama.

Many of Strauss’s most celebrated operas were written in collaboration with librettist Hugo von Hofmannsthal, whose texts helped shape works such as Die Frau ohne Schatten and Ariadne auf Naxos. Their partnership produced some of the defining operas of the early twentieth century and helped establish Strauss as one of the leading figures in modern opera.

Strauss’s operas remain central to the international repertoire, admired for their massive orchestras and vivid exploration of human psychology.

Strauss Fast Facts

Born: June 11, 1864 (Munich, Germany)
Died: September 8, 1949 (Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany)
Active years: 1880s–1940s
Operas composed: 15
Most famous operas: Salome, Elektra, Der Rosenkavalier, Ariadne auf Naxos, Die Frau ohne Schatten
Signature musical trait: Expansive orchestration