BSO: "Strauss' Four Last Songs"

BSO & Conductor Markus Stenz: "Strauss' Four Last Songs"

Rising star Heidi Melton gives voice to the soaring soprano melodies of Richard Strauss' last great works, as guest conductor Markus Stenz leads the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in a night of signature German repertoire. Written at the end of Strauss' life, "Four Last Songs" is inspired by the poetry of Joseph von Eichendorff and Hermann Hesse, and expresses Strauss' coming to grips with his own impending death. The combination of the beautiful soprano and prominent brass accompaniment are said to represent Strauss' soprano wife and horn-playing father. Also on the program is Carl Maria von Weber's "Der Freischütz" Overture. Considered the first important German Romantic opera, the work is based on a folktale about a marksman's deal with the devil for magic bullets. Schumann overcame bad health, including ringing in his ears, to write his uplifting Symphony No. 2, which closes this concert at Music Center at Strathmore in North Bethesda.