Festival Prelude (Full Orchestra) by Richard Strauss
$8.95
Includes 3 files:MP4 file with visual and aural click track; MP4 file with visual click track only; PDF score for practice
Richard Georg Strauss (1864-1949) was the first child of musician, Franz Joseph Strauss and his wife, Josepha. He began composing at an early age and by the time he was 18, had already composed over 140 works.
In 1886, he moved on to become the third Musical Director at the Munich Court Opera and soon dedicated himself at this time to the study of symphonic composition.
In 1894, he married soprano, Pauline de Ahna.
With his tone poems, like "Also Sprach Zarathustra" he soon gained worldwide recognition.
With the premiere of “Salome” in Dresden in 1905, Strauss defined the term modern opera music for his supporters as well as his critics. Later, he would achieve tremendous success with "Der Rosenkavalier", still a staple of opera repertoire everywhere.
Strauss suffered through two world wars, losing many of his assets during World War I and having to balance personal feelings against state-appointed work duties in Nazi Germany during World War II. Strauss composed his last two operas “The Love of Danae” and “Capriccio” and escaped to Switzerland in 1945 where he experienced great financial hardship. Before his death in 1949, he was properly honored with festivals both in London as well as in Germany.
In 1913, Strauss composed his Festival Prelude for the inauguration of the organ in the Great Hall of Vienna's Konzerthaus. The instrument's debut came in the premiere performance of the Festival Prelude on October 19, 1913, an occasion and work acclaimed by the public and the critics alike.