Richard Strauss

Richard Georg Strauss (11 June 1864 – 8 September 1949) was a German composer and conductor renowned for his tone poems and operas. As a successor to Wagner and Liszt, he was a key figure in the late Romantic and early modern eras, representing the culmination of German Romanticism with advanced orchestration and harmony. Strauss's career spanned nearly eight decades, beginning at age six. Notable works include 'Don Juan', 'Death and Transfiguration', and the operas 'Salome' and 'Elektra'. Despite controversy over his role in Nazi Germany, he defended Jewish musicians and subtly critiqued the regime in his work 'Friedenstag'. He died in 1949, after a denazification tribunal cleared him of wrongdoing.