Richard Strauss was a German pianist, composer, and conductor born in Germany in 1864. His father was a professional musician, and Richard himself started taking piano lessons at the age of four. This was followed by composition and the violin classes starting from the age of eleven. While studying, he saw two productions of Wagner’s operas that made a significant impression on him. After graduating from the Ludwigsgymnasium in 1882, Strauss briefly studied art history and philosophy. Vocationally, however, he would continue to work in the musical milieu. Firstly, by becoming the assistant conductor at the Meiningen Court Orchestra. Later, he was appointed as the interim-leader of the orchestra when his boss and mentor Hans von Bülow suddenly quit his position. This brief period of Strauss’s musical life was marked by a true fascination with composer Johannes Brahms. A few years after meeting and marrying the love of his life, soprano Pauline de Ahna, he composed his first opera, Guntram, in 1894. It was not well received, but pushed him towards the forefront of the musical scene. When his first symphonic poem Don Juan premiered, it received great acclaim.  

In 1894, after the Guntram debacle, he conducted Wagner’s Tannhäuser with Pauline singing the lead role of Elizabeth. He then assumed the role of lead conductor at the Berlin State Opera and stayed there for 15 years. WWII proved to be exceedingly difficult for Strauss and his family, especially when part of his daughter-in-law's family was deported and murdered, even though he had tried to intervene to prevent the tragedy. He was not popular with Nazi officials, but was left alone because of Nazi Germany’s interest in supporting German composers and musicians. The aftermath of the war was not a prosperous one: like most Germans, Strauss’s assets and money were seized, and he left the country to settle in Switzerland with Pauline. Even though he was over 80, he had to continue working as he needed income to live. In 1948, he was hospitalized due to a bladder infection, and he never fully recovered. Soon after, he died from a heart attack and kidney failure.  

Despite Richard Strauss’ difficult final years marked by distress and financial instability, he managed to leave a great legacy behind. He has undeniably influenced many 20th musicians and composers. His most celebrated works include his operas Salome, Elektra, Der Rosenkavalier, his Lieder, especially his Last Four Songs, his symphonic poems including Sprach Zarathustra, Don Juan, Death and Transfiguration, Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks, An Alpine Symphony, and many other instrumental works.