Strauss, Richard (1864 - 1949)

[Flay]

He could easily have moved himself and his family somewhere else, like Switzerland for example, and he wouldn't have been short of cash like other escapees from the Nazis (Schoenberg and Bartók for example). I don't have much sympathy with his behaviour in the Third Reich at all.

I don't think he expected the Nazis to be in power for very long and thought he could stay and sit it out. But they did survive, and by then it was too late to leave. But as one of my sources said (probably Boyden), "he kept his head in his score and ignored the raised voices in the next room." There was plenty of work in Germany and Austria, and he liked earning money. Mind you he had lost a fortune when the Bank of England confiscated the best part of 30 years savings in 1914: £50,000, equivalent to about £5.5million today!

I think he was also seduced by Hitler's pledge to "Make German music German again." (Sounds familiar, Mr Trump...)

I saw a performance of Metamorphosen a couple of weeks ago, and this struck me once more: even at that stage all he could think about was the destruction of his beloved Munich.

The enigmatic words "in memoriam." Was he referring to the loss of the concert and opera houses, to the cities, to the dead, to the Reich, or simply to Beethoven?

[Richard Barrett]

The enigmatic words "in memoriam." Was he referring to the loss of the concert and opera houses, to the cities, to the dead, to the Reich, or simply to Beethoven?

Vladimir Jurowski has this to say: "We know the inspiration for Metamorphosen came when he saw those pictures of the destroyed opera houses. And these were the opera houses in his life, so he felt his lifework was finished with them. It was not so much about the ruins in which the entire country was under, but specifically the destruction of the cultural heritage, which devastated Strauss, telling you something about the way this man was thinking: Art was everything for him, and the daily lives of other people meant nothing to him."

[Ein Heldenleben]

To complete the circle - Strauss was forced to resign as President of the Nazi’s Reichsmusikkammer after writing a letter of support to Stefan Zweig the Viennese Jewish writer and one of Strauss’s librettists . Zweig and his wife later committed suicide, even though relatively safe in exile , in despair as the destruction of European culture and its parallel and indeed inextricably linked persecution of his fellow Jews. Zweig’s memoir of pre First World War Vienna ‘The World Of Yesterday’ is almost unbearably poignant . One of the finest fruits of that (now almost completely vanished ) culture was the prodigy Hugo Von Hofmannsthal- and the memoir has a vivid portrait of him.

[BBMmk2]

Flay, I would very much like to read or hear a recording of this.

[Flay]

Flay, I would very much like to read or hear a recording of this.

Thank you. I'm pleased to say that it went very well last night. I'll PM you, BBM

Chris

[Serial_Apologist]

To complete the circle - Strauss was forced to resign as President of the Nazi’s Reichsmusikkammer after writing a letter of support to Stefan Zweig the Viennese Jewish writer and one of Strauss’s librettists . Zweig and his wife later committed suicide, even though relatively safe in exile , in despair as the destruction of European culture and its parallel and indeed inextricably linked persecution of his fellow Jews. Zweig’s memoir of pre First World War Vienna ‘The World Of Yesterday’ is almost unbearably poignant . One of the finest fruits of that (now almost completely vanished ) culture was the prodigy Hugo Von Hofmannsthal- and the memoir has a vivid portrait of him.

One cannot overstate the importance to Germanic culture of its Jewish inputs. This (for me) is one of the ironies behind Schoenberg's claim to have ensured the superiority of German music for the next however many hundred years with his formulation of the 12-tone method of composition.

[Flay]

I confess I watched The Sound of Music on the iPlayer the other day (still available until 9.45 this evening for any nostalgics).

One scene put me in mind of Strauss. The telegram delivery boy Rolfe has joined the Hitler Youth and is given short shrift by von Trapp. The Baroness says not to be too hard on him, "he's just a boy" to which von Trapp retorts: "Yes, and I'm an Austrian!" Their friend the music agent Max says: "What's going to happen is going to happen. Just make sure it doesn't happen to you."
Von Trapp shouts at him: "Max, don't you ever say that again!" Max shrugs: "You know I have no political convictions, can I help it if other people do?"
Von Trapp warns: "Oh yes, you can help it. You must help it."

Strauss said in September 1914: "Things concerning war and politics are not fitting for an artist."

By the way, I hadn't previously appreciated just how well crafted the Sound of Music is. Every scene is perfectly balanced with an obsessive attention to the backgrounds.

[Serial_Apologist]

I confess I watched The Sound of Music on the iPlayer the other day (still available until 9.45 this evening for any nostalgics).

One scene put me in mind of Strauss. The telegram delivery boy Rolfe has joined the Hitler Youth and is given short shrift by von Trapp. The Baroness says not to be too hard on him, "he's just a boy" to which von Trapp retorts: "Yes, and I'm an Austrian!" Their friend the music agent Max says: "What's going to happen is going to happen. Just make sure it doesn't happen to you."
Von Trapp shouts at him: "Max, don't you ever say that again!" Max shrugs: "You know I have no political convictions, can I help it if other people do?"
Von Trapp warns: "Oh yes, you can help it. You must help it."

Strauss said in September 1914: "Things concerning war and politics are not fitting for an artist."

By the way, I hadn't previously appreciated just how well crafted the Sound of Music is. Every scene is perfectly balanced with an obsessive attention to the backgrounds.

Actually, it's not that bad a film at all - one of the few musicals I can bring myself to watch.

A personal anecdote. In the mid-sixties, when The Sound of Music enjoyed a very long residency at one of the big West End cinemas, I was working as a waiter in the Lyons Corner House in Coventry Street, where, each evening, the Brasserie situated in the basement featured a "gypsy" band. Themes from TSOM always opened musical proceedings, with a rendition of "The Hills are Alive" featuring a female singer who, unfortunately, was always out-of-tune!

[Once Was 4]

Actually, it's not that bad a film at all - one of the few musicals I can bring myself to watch.

A personal anecdote. In the mid-sixties, when The Sound of Music enjoyed a very long residency at one of the big West End cinemas, I was working as a waiter in the Lyons Corner House in Coventry Street, where, each evening, the Brasserie situated in the basement featured a "gypsy" band. Themes from TSOM always opened musical proceedings, with a rendition of "The Hills are Alive" featuring a female singer who, unfortunately, was always out-of-tune!

Really sorry but I cannot resist boring you with this: when I was just starting out doing professional gigs around West Yorkshire there were a couple of players still around of the real old school (pre-WW2 and one possibly pre-WW1 which seems unthinkable now) - all have long since gone to that great bandroom in the sky. One of their favourite stories was of musicians who were regulars in the trio which played at Collinson's cafe in Bradford among many similar residencies. They were brought together to do a series of gigs in costume under the title of 'Janos and his Hungarian Gypsy Band' or some-such. They were told that on no account should they speak in front of the audience. Sadly one was recognised by a man who said "you play at Collinson's don't you?". Our violinist mumbled something unintelligible in reply and walked away but the man was persistent - following him with the same question. In the end our violinist lost patience and said "no lad, I'm a ruddy 'ungarian".

Yes, I know - nothing to do with Richard Strauss - I will go away now.

[Flay]

Really sorry but I cannot resist boring you with this:

- I will go away now.

Please don't go. It's anecdotes like this which give life to the board.

Your name suggests that you may have been a quartet member???

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Your name suggests that you may have been a quartet member???

IIRC, yes - but no strings attached.

[Once Was 4]

Depends what you mean: high quality French horns often have string-action valves!

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

[Ein Heldenleben]

While I have some sympathy with Richard's views on Eine Alpensinfonie and Zarathustra (to which I would add my particular Straussian bête-noire, Tod und Verklärung), I'm not sure that I've ever thought of Metamorphosen as up there making a lot of noise with a large orchestra. Written in very different circumstances to the afore-mentioned trio of works (not to mention the other pair of works which, for me, tend to outstay their welcome - Aus Italien and especially the Sinfonia Domestica), twenty three strings do not bombast make but something rather more rueful and reflective. Or am I missing something?

Do you find Tod Und Verklarung unsettlingly morbid? There’s too much Tod Und not enough Verklarung. Also Metamorphosen , though a bit of a masterpiece , perhaps leads the field in most self-pitying musical endeavour .

[HighlandDougie]

Do you find Tod Und Verklarung unsettlingly morbid? There’s too much Tod Und not enough Verklarung. Also Metamorphosen , though a bit of a masterpiece , perhaps leads the field in most self-pitying musical endeavour .

Yes, well expressed. Way too much tod for my presbyterian tastes. But, in defence of the composer and in however much opprobrium he might be regarded as a fellow-traveller with the third reich (and that is maybe debatable), I think that self-pitying is a wee bit unfair.