RICHARD STRAUSS Life&times

1864

LIFE: Richard Strauss is born on 11 June in Munich. His father, Franz, is principal horn player of the Bavarian Court Orchestra and a talented player of a variety of instruments. TIMES: In the Second Schleswig War, fought between Denmark and Prussia over the Schleswig-holstein territory, the Prussians capture the island of Als from 9,000 Danish troops.

1885

LIFE: Now a rising conductor, he meets composer Alexander Ritter, who encourages him to embrace ‘music of the future’ and emulate Liszt and Wagner in his compositions rather than Brahms.

TIMES: Following German Unification in 1871, orders for the expulsion of all ethnic Poles and Russian Jews who have failed to obtain German citizenship is brutally carried out.

1933

LIFE: He accepts his appointment to two Nazi-endorsed posts: first as principal conductor of the Bayreuth Festival then as head of the Reich Chamber of Music, formed in November.

TIMES: Less than a decade after being sentenced to five years in prison, Adolf Hitler, the leader of the National Socialist German Workers’ Party, accepts the post of Chancellor of Germany.

1949

LIFE: He dies of kidney failure while asleep on 8 September. Georg Solti conducts the Bavarian State Opera Orchestra at his funeral. TIMES: The Volkswagen Beetle is introduced to the US by Dutch dealer Ben Pon, who brings a 1948 model to New York, but fails to interest importers.

1894

LIFE: After a stormy courtship, he marries the soprano Pauline de Ahna. She will prove an inspiration to him throughout his remaining 54 years. TIMES: The German Princess Alix of Hesse and by Rhine marries the newly crowned Nicholas II of Russia. They will remain a devoted couple until their execution by the Bolsheviks in 1918.

1905

LIFE: He conducts the premiere of Salome, the first of his operas to secure international fame. The advance from his publisher enables him to build the Strauss-villa in Bavaria. TIMES: The Dutch exotic dancer Mata Hari, who is later executed as a German spy, becomes a sensation when she introduces her provocative dance at the Musée Guimet in Paris.