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All this week, Donald Macleod explores key figures in the life of Richard Strauss. Today we meet his first and most distinguished librettist, Hugo von Hofmannsthal. These two very different men 鈥� practically chalk and cheese 鈥� enjoyed an extraordinarily productive creative partnership that lasted over two decades and was only terminated by Hofmannsthal鈥檚 untimely death in 1929.

Their paths had first crossed in 1900, but the idea of a collaboration didn鈥檛 emerge till a few years later, when Strauss saw a production of Hofmannsthal鈥檚 German-language adaptation of Sophocles鈥� bleak revenge-tragedy Elektra at Berlin鈥檚 Little Theatre. Strauss immediately saw that the play was crying out to be transformed into an opera; Hofmannsthal was happy to concur; and a masterpiece was born 鈥� one that consolidated Strauss鈥檚 position 鈥� recently established by his succ猫s de scandale, Salome 鈥� as one of the leading lights of the musical avant-garde. Their next collaboration turned things topsy-turvy, as Strauss beat a nifty retreat from the brink of the stylistic precipice on which he had found himself teetering with Elektra, and plunged headlong into the warm bath of Der Rosenkavalier, a comedy of manners set in 18th-century Vienna during the reign of Maria Theresa. Four more operas followed, the last of which 鈥� a straightforward love-story, Arabella 鈥� was Hofmannsthal鈥檚 response to Strauss鈥檚 request for 鈥渁 second Rosenkavalier 鈥� if you can鈥檛 think of anything better鈥�. When the premi猫re finally took place, in Dresden in July 1933, Hofmannsthal had been dead for four years. In a manner worthy of tragic opera, he had died of a stroke as he dressed for the funeral of his elder son Franz, who had killed himself two days earlier. Strauss was disconsolate, saying of his former partner, 鈥淣o one will ever replace him for me or for the world of music.鈥� As for Arabella, the premi猫re was only a moderate success, and when it was produced in Vienna, several wits dubbed it Sklerosenkavalier 鈥� Strauss being diagnosed as suffering from sclerosis of his musical arteries. Notwithstanding the sharp tongues of those catty Viennese critics, the opera has stayed in the repertoire internationally to this day.

Der Rosenkavalier, Op 59 (Act 1, Introduction)
Philharmonia Orchestra
Herbert von Karajan, conductor

Le bourgeois gentilhomme, suite for orchestra, Op 60 (1. Overture)
The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen
Paavo J盲rvi, conductor

Elektra, Op 58 (Scene 6, 鈥榃as willst du, fremder Mensch?鈥�)
Inge Borkh, soprano (Elektra)
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, baritone (Orestes)
Staatskapelle Dresden
Karl B枚hm, conductor

Arabella, Op 79 (Act 2, love duet 鈥淪ie sehn nicht aus wie jemand, den das alles da interessiert.鈥�)
Lisa della Casa, soprano (Arabella)
George London, baritone (Mandryka)
Waldemar Kmentt, tenor (Elemer)
Harald Pr枚glhoff, bass (Lamoral)
Vienna Philharmonic
Georg Solti, conductor

Der Rosenkavalier, Op 59 (Act 3, Finale)
Philharmonia Orchestra
Herbert von Karajan, conductor

Produced by Chris Barstow for 大象传媒 Audio Wales & West