Strauss, along with Gustav Mahler, represents the late flowering of German Romanticism after Richard Wagner, in which pioneering subtleties of orchestration are combined with an advanced harmonic style.
Strauss was born on 11 June 1864 in Munich, the son of Franz Strauss, who was the principal horn player at the Court Opera in Munich. In his youth, he received a thorough musical education from his father. He wrote his first composition at the age of six, and continued to write music almost until his death.
During his boyhood Strauss attended orchestra rehearsals of the Munich Court Orchestra, and he also received private instruction in music theory and orchestration from an assistant conductor there. In 1872 he started receiving violin instruction at the Royal School of Music from Benno Walter, his father's cousin. In 1874 Strauss heard his first Wagner operas, Lohengrin and Tannhäuser. The influence of Wagner's music on Strauss's style was to be profound, but at first his musically conservative father forbade him to study it. Indeed, in the Strauss household, the music of Richard Wagner was viewed with deep suspicion, and it was not until the age of 16 that Strauss was able to obtain a score of Tristan und Isolde. In later life, Strauss said that he deeply regretted the conservative hostility to Wagner's progressive works. Nevertheless, Strauss's father undoubtedly had a crucial influence on his son's developing taste, not least in Strauss's abiding love for the horn.
In early 1882 in Vienna he gave the first performance of his Violin Concerto in D minor, playing a piano reduction of the orchestral part himself, with his teacher and "cousin" Benno Walter as soloist. The same year he entered Munich University, where he studied Philosophy and Art History, but not music. He left a year later to go to Berlin, where he studied briefly before securing a post as assistant conductor to Hans von Bülow, who had been enormously impressed by the young composer's Serenade for wind instruments, composed when he was only 16 years of age. Strauss learned the art of conducting by observing Bülow in rehearsal. Bülow was very fond of the young man and decided that Strauss should be his successor as conductor of the Meiningen orchestra when Bülow resigned in 1885. Strauss's compositions at this time were indebted to the style of Robert Schumann or Felix Mendelssohn, true to his father's teachings. His Horn Concerto No. 1, Op. 11, is representative of this period and is a staple of modern horn repertoire.
Strauss married soprano Pauline de Ahna on 10 September 1894. She was famous for being irascible, garrulous, eccentric and outspoken, but the marriage, to all appearances, was essentially happy and she was a great source of inspiration to him. Throughout his life, from his earliest songs to the final Four Last Songs of 1948, he preferred the soprano voice to all others, and all his operas contain important soprano roles.
The Strausses had one son, Franz, in 1897. Franz married Alice von Grab, a Jewish woman, in a Catholic ceremony (despite being an agnostic) in 1924. Franz and Alice had two sons, Richard and Christian.
Before and during the 1939-45 War, he was criticised as a Nazi sympathiser, and held an official (musical) post. This claim is not entirely accurate. He lost the job when he refused to remove the name of a Jewish librettist from a programme. He was also condemned for criticisms of the Nazi party. He was thereafter denounced by the Nazi party, and he was forced to make concessions and submit to their will in order to save his family.
Vier letzte Lieder AV 150: 4. Im Abendrot
Richard Strauss Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Gegangen Hand in Hand
Vom Wandern ruhen wir beide
Nun überm stillen Land
Rings sich die Täler neigen
Es dunkelt schon die Luft
Zwei Lerchen nur noch steigen
Tritt her, und lass sie schwirren
Bald ist es Schlafenszeit
Dass wir uns nicht verirren
In dieser Einsamkeit
O weiter, stiller Friede
So tief im Abendrot
Wie sind wir wandermüde
Ist dies
Etwa
Der Tod?
The second stanza of Richard Strauss's song Vier letzte Lieder TrV 296, "2. September," is a reflection on life and death as the singer and their companion come to rest after a long journey. The singer recalls the moments they have spent together in both times of difficulty and joy, as they have traveled through life hand in hand. Now they rest above the quiet and still land, surrounded by the gentle slope of valleys and darkening air. Two larks are the only signs of life, ascending into the sweet aroma that fills the air.
The singer turns to their companion, urging them to join in the appreciation of the beauty around them. The larks will soon be gone as it is nearing time for sleep, they should not get lost in the solitude that surrounds them. The peace felt in the evening sun is profound, and the singer's fatigue from their journey leaves them questioning if this sunset-filled moment is, in fact, the harbinger of death. The lyrics capture the mixed feelings of hope and uncertainty that come with the end of life.
Line by Line Meaning
Wir sind durch Not und Freude
We have experienced both hardship and joy together
Gegangen Hand in Hand
We have gone hand in hand
Vom Wandern ruhen wir beide
Now we both rest from our wanderings
Nun überm stillen Land
Now above the quiet land
Rings sich die Täler neigen
The valleys around us slope down
Es dunkelt schon die Luft
The air is already growing dark
Zwei Lerchen nur noch steigen
Only two larks continue to rise
Nachträumend in den Duft
Dreamily into the scent
Tritt her, und lass sie schwirren
Come here and let them flutter
Bald ist es Schlafenszeit
Soon it will be time to sleep
Dass wir uns nicht verirren
So that we do not lose our way
In dieser Einsamkeit
In this solitude
O weiter, stiller Friede
Oh, vast, still peace
So tief im Abendrot
So deep in the evening glow
Wie sind wir wandermüde
How tired we are from wandering
Ist dies
Is this
Etwa
Perhaps
Der Tod?
Death?
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: Richard Strauss, Joseph Freiherr Von Eichendorff
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Gustavo Hernandez Minetti
Beautiful singing voice and deeply touching words. Strauss wrote these amazing songs at the end of his long career. Gorgeous!
("At sunset") (Text: Joseph von Eichendorff)
Wir sind durch Not und Freude
gegangen Hand in Hand;
vom Wandern ruhen wir
nun überm stillen Land.
Rings sich die Täler neigen,
es dunkelt schon die Luft.
Zwei Lerchen nur noch steigen
nachträumend in den Duft.
Tritt her und laß sie schwirren,
bald ist es Schlafenszeit.
Daß wir uns nicht verirren
in dieser Einsamkeit.
O weiter, stiller Friede!
So tief im Abendrot.
Wie sind wir wandermüde--
Ist dies etwa der Tod?
We have through sorrow and joy
gone hand in hand;
From our wanderings, let's now rest
in this quiet land.
Around us, the valleys bow
as the sun goes down.
Two larks soar upwards
dreamily into the light air.
Come close, and let them fly.
Soon it will be time for sleep.
Let's not lose our way
in this solitude.
O vast, tranquil peace,
so deep in the evening's glow!
How weary we are of wandering---
Is this perhaps death?
ian caldeian
How lovely is your world,
Father, in its golden radiance
when your glory descends
and paints the dust with glitter;
when the red light that shines from the clouds
falls silently upon my window.
Could I complain? Could I be apprehensive?
Could I lose faith in you and in myself?
No, I already bear your heaven
here within my heart.
And this heart, before it breaks,
still drinks in the fire and savours the light.
PERE NOEL
Crépuscule – Joseph von Eichendorff
Dans la peine et la joie
Nous avons marché main dans la main ;
De cette errance nous nous reposons
Maintenant dans la campagne silencieuse.
Autour de nous les vallées descendent en pente,
Le ciel déjà s’assombrit ;
Seules deux alouettes s’élèvent,
Rêvant dans la brise parfumée.
Approche, laisse-les battre des ailes ;
Il va être l’heure de dormir ;
Viens, que nous ne nous égarions pas
Dans cette solitude.
Ô paix immense et sereine,
Si profonde à l’heure du soleil couchant!
Comme nous sommes las d’errer !
Serait-ce déjà la mort ?
Miguel Muelle
I've heard many versions of this song, but this one captures the essence of evening, of the end of things, of the red glow of the sunset. The pacing is almost glacial, but that's how it slips into timelessness. Norman & Mazur will always be my desert island version of this.
Peter Nolan
I have long thought that "Morgen" is the most beautiful love song of all time. I just discovered "Im Abendrot" and Ms. Norman's performance has me in tears because it is so phenomenal.
Hisuk Serjeant
I always weep when I hear this song somehow Strauss knew his end was near !
zneufeld
RIP Jessye. This recording makes her immortal.
Todd Waddington Productions
zneufeld I am so sad. First song I went to. Chills, sad, splendorous. Transcendent.
PINNER
Nailed it friend
cameronpaul
Richard Strauss' farwell to this world has to be the greatest ever written and this performance in a special class of it's own - sublime.
alger3041
It is indeed his last will and testament, and should be so regarded.
Annelies Kooger
Words cannot express the feeling she gave with her breathtaking voice. RIP Jesse and thank you.
Beautiful Music Librarian
I have heard and seen many performances of Strauss' Four Last Songs over the years and hers is still my favorite. It was this recording that inspired me to pursue a singing career when I was younger. In my mind, this is one of the most perfect recordings of the Four Last Songs ever! It is absolutely breathtaking and her phrasing is impeccable. It gives me goose bumps every time!