Thirty Years of Musical Life in London, 1870-1900

urn:iso:std:iso:639:ed-3:eng

408

text excerpt

Richard Strauss paid his first visit to England in December, 1897. His songs and chamber pieces were tolerably well known, but of his orchestral works only three had so far been heard in London—namely, the symphony in F (April 12) and the symphonic poems, “Till Eulenspiegel” and “Also sprach Zarathustra”. He now brought with him the “Tod und Verklarung”, wherein is depicted the death struggle of a man before whose mental vision there passes the panorama of a wasted life, followed by the man's transfiguration, as his redeemed soul passes out of earthly existence into a higher state. The second section of this remarkable work made an especially deep impression, and at the close the composer was overwhelmed with applause. Strauss's gifts as a conductor were made manifest in very positive fashion. In his own music startling contrasts, powerful crescendos, and exciting climaxes naturally abounded. In the inter-pretation of Mozart and Wagner he displayed an admirable command of dynamic effects, ranging from the most delicate to the most sonorous; and in everything alike he revealed the intellectual insight and authority, the artistic culture, the magnetic force, the strong individuality of a musician of genius.

Richard Strauss paid his first visit to England in December, 1897. His songs and chamber pieces were tolerably well known, but of his orchestral works only three had so far been heard in London—namely, the symphony in F (April 12) and the symphonic poems, “Till Eulenspiegel” and “Also sprach Zarathustra”. He now brought with him the “Tod und Verklarung”, wherein is depicted the death struggle of a man before whose mental vision there passes the panorama of a wasted life, followed by the man's transfiguration, as his redeemed soul passes out of earthly existence into a higher state. The second section of this remarkable work made an especially deep impression, and at the close the composer was overwhelmed with applause. Strauss's gifts as a conductor were made manifest in very positive fashion. In his own music startling contrasts, powerful crescendos, and exciting climaxes naturally abounded. In the inter-pretation of Mozart and Wagner he displayed an admirable command of dynamic effects, ranging from the most delicate to the most sonorous; and in everything alike he revealed the intellectual insight and authority, the artistic culture, the magnetic force, the strong individuality of a musician of genius.

excerpt from 'Thirty Years of Musical Life in London, 1870-1900' pp. 408 (200 words)

1438589777282:

1438589777282