Description
Richard Strauss is a composer much loved among audiences throughout the world, both in the opera house and the concert hall. Despite this popularity, Strauss was for many years ignored by scholars, who considered his commercial success and his continued reliance on the tonal system to be liabilities. However, the past two decades have seen a resurgence of scholarly interest in the composer. This Companion surveys the results, focusing on the principal genres, the social and historical context, and topics perennially controversial over the last century. Chapters cover Strauss's immense operatic output, the electrifying modernism of his tone poems, and his ever-popular Lieder. Controversial topics are explored, including Strauss's relationship to the Third Reich and the sexual dimension of his works. Reintroducing the composer and his music in light of recent research, the volume shows Strauss's artistic personality to be richer and much more complicated than has been previously acknowledged.
Summarizing the recent resurgence of scholarly interest in Strauss, this volume focuses on genres, social context, and perennially controversial topics.
About the Author
Charles Youmans is Associate Professor of Music at Penn State University. He is the author of Richard Strauss and the German Intellectual Tradition (2005), and his articles and essays have appeared in Nineteenth-Century Music, The Musical Quarterly, the Journal of Musicology, and various edited collections.
Reviews
'[A] superbly assembled portmanteau portrait ... Readers new or already familiar with Strauss will find much else here to engage and argue with in a valuable contribution to understanding the multi-faceted enigma of the man behind the music.' Classical Music
'5/5 - Readers new to or already familiar with Strauss will find much else here to engage and argue with in a valuable contribution to understanding the multi-faceted enigma of the man behind the music.' Classical Music
'The contributions are both up to date in their scholarship and eminently readable, while the copious notes to each chapter provide invaluable links to further research.' Music and Letters
Book Information
ISBN 9780521899307
Author Charles Youmans
Format Hardback
Page Count 370
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 870g
Dimensions(mm) 251mm * 179mm * 21mm
Summarizing the recent resurgence of scholarly interest in Strauss, this volume focuses on genres, social context, and perennially controversial topics.
About the Author
Charles Youmans is Associate Professor of Music at Penn State University. He is the author of Richard Strauss and the German Intellectual Tradition (2005), and his articles and essays have appeared in Nineteenth-Century Music, The Musical Quarterly, the Journal of Musicology, and various edited collections.
Reviews
'[A] superbly assembled portmanteau portrait ... Readers new or already familiar with Strauss will find much else here to engage and argue with in a valuable contribution to understanding the multi-faceted enigma of the man behind the music.' Classical Music
'5/5 - Readers new to or already familiar with Strauss will find much else here to engage and argue with in a valuable contribution to understanding the multi-faceted enigma of the man behind the music.' Classical Music
'The contributions are both up to date in their scholarship and eminently readable, while the copious notes to each chapter provide invaluable links to further research.' Music and Letters
Book Information
ISBN 9780521899307
Author Charles Youmans
Format Hardback
Page Count 370
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 870g
Dimensions(mm) 251mm * 179mm * 21mm
