First published in 2014 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the birth of Richard Strauss, the Singers on Singing website is streaming an audio documentary in two sections called SINGING STRAUSS, which, following SINGING BRITTEN that was produced last year for the Britten Centenary, is the second Singers on Singing Composer Profile.

For the first section SINGING STRAUSS, the Hampsong Foundation has exclusively commissioned a 60-minute feature of music and commentary with observations on some of Strauss’s Lieder from baritone Thomas Hampson and conductors Sir Mark Elder and Bernard Keeffe. The second section of SINGING STRAUSS is an extended 126-minute version, exclusively expanded for Singers on Singing, of the two-part WFMT Radio Network Strauss anniversary program Richard Strauss: Lion of Opera, consisting of musical extracts from many Strauss operas and observations on the works from sopranos Monserrat Caballé, Maria Ewing, Renée Fleming, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Lotte Lehmann, Dame Felicity Lott, Nadja Michael and Deborah Polaski, baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, and conductors Sir Mark Elder and Bernard Keeffe. There is also a unique personal memory of Strauss from soprano Martha Eggerth. The Lieder section is hosted by Jon Tolansky, and Thomas Hampson hosts the opera feature. For the Lieder section, texts of the songs in German and English are shown when the musical illustrations are played. Details of the musical illustrations in both the Lieder and opera sections follow below.

–Jon Tolansky

Host:

Jon Tolansky

Musical excerpts included in SINGING STRAUSS, which focuses on the songs of Richard Strauss:

• Rehearsal extract from Richard Strauss conducting Don Juan (1939) – Berlin Funkorchester – BELLAPHON DE 23 055 (out-of-print)
• “Zueignung” (from the album Notturno: The Songs of Richard Strauss)
• “Morgen” (from the album Notturno: The Songs of Richard Strauss)
• “Notturno” with violinist Daniel Hope (from the album Notturno: The Songs of Richard Strauss)
• “Wiegenlied” (from the album Richard Strauss: Don Juan, Macbeth, Lieder)
• “Waldseligkeit” (from the album Richard Strauss: Don Juan, Macbeth, Lieder)
• “Die heiligen drei Könige” (from the album Richard Strauss: Don Juan, Macbeth, Lieder)
• “Im Sonnenschein” (from the album Notturno: The Songs of Richard Strauss)
• Vier Letzte Lieder: “Im Abendrot” (from the album Richard Strauss: Vier Letzte Lieder)

Host:

Thomas Hampson

Musical excerpts included in the second part of SINGING STRAUSS, Richard Strauss: Lion of Opera, which focuses on the operatic works of Richard Strauss:

Part One:

• Excerpt from Guntram (from the album Richard Strauss: Guntram)
• Excerpt from Feuersnot (from the album Richard Strauss: Feuersnot)
• Excerpt from Tod und Verklärung (from the album Karajan: The Legendary Decca Recordings)
• Excerpt from Salome with Hildegard Behrens, et. al (from the album Richard Strauss: Salome (Behrens))
• Excerpt from Salome with Monserrat Caballé, et. al (from the album Richard Strauss: Salome (Caballé))
• Excerpt from Elektra (from the album Richard Strauss: Elektra)
• Excerpt from Der Rosenkavalier (from the album Richard Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier)

Part Two:

• Excerpt from Ariadne auf Naxos (from the album Richard Strauss: Ariadne auf Naxos)
• Excerpt from Die Frau Ohne Schatten (from the album Richard Strauss: Die Frau ohne Schatten)
• Excerpt from Intermezzo (from the album Richard Strauss: Intermezzo)
• Excerpt from Arabella (from the album Richard Strauss: Arabella)
• Excerpt from Daphne (from the album Richard Strauss: Daphne)
• Excerpt from Capriccio (from the album Richard Strauss: Capriccio)