Little/Mchale/Price/Collins - Richard Strauss: Concertante Works

The Romanze is Strauss� first attempt at writing for a soloist and orchestra. The influence of Mozart�s piano concertos, which Strauss was studying at the time, is apparent, not least in the writing for solo clarinet and the orchestral bassoon, and re-visited by Strauss in his final instrumental work the Duett-Concertino from 1947. Like other of his late compositions, this work seems to reject the full-blown expressionism for which we know Strauss best, and reflects a more neo-classical sound. Another early work, the Violin Concerto was first performed in 1882, and demonstrates Strauss� growing technical skill and developing compositional voice. Strauss ultimately came to distance himself from a piece which he presumably regarded as unrepresentative of his mature style. Many commentators on the works of Strauss have felt that the Burleske was a significant turning point in his development, seemingly pointing the way ahead to the technical dexterity and emotional palette of his later tone poems. Originally written for Strauss�s mentor in Dresden Hans von B�low, the work was premiered by Eugen d�Albert, in 1890 following von B�low�s rejection of the work.