Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra / Maria Bengtsson / Bertrand de Billy

Richard Strauss – a celebrated composer, a politically controversial cultural figure and unquestionably an artist ahead of his time – is the subject of this concert’s musical portrait. Those who knew him described him as someone with a great sense of humour who never let fame go to his head. He loved music, his family and playing cards (and is even said to have been a good loser). He first began composing at the age of six. His famous tone poem »Ein Heldenleben« marks his first major achievement in the art of orchestration. Critics accused him of shameless self-aggrandizement in this work, but Strauss responded: »I am not a hero. I don’t have the strength for it. I’m not fit for the battle. I prefer to stay in the background, in a quiet place ....«