Overture Magazine - 2015-2016 Season September-October 2015 | Page 17

A N ALPINE SYMPHONY

Richard Strauss

Born in Munich, Bavaria, June 11, 1864;
died in Garmisch-Partenkirchen,
West Germany, September 8, 1949

Richard Strauss’ last and most massive
tone poem, An Alpine Symphony, is a
work for special occasions. Calling for a
gargantuan orchestra, it is economically
and logistically an enormous challenge for
any organization and thus is more often
enjoyed on recording than in a live performance. And yet nearly every orchestra
musician longs to play it, for it will call on
his or her utmost virtuosity. And so as the
BSO begins its 100th season, the stars are
aligned for this epic work.

An Alpine Symphony is
a symphony in name only …
Norman Del Mar more
appropriately calls it
“a free descriptive fantasia.”
Composed between 1911 and 1915,
An Alpine Symphony was a last, retrospective glance by a middle-aged Strauss at a
musical genre he had exalted in his earlier
years: the virtuoso symphonic tone poem
that describes in a most precise and imaginative way an elaborate scenario down to
the last detail. Needing new challenges, he
had since moved on to the world of opera
and had already created three extraordinary operatic successes in a row: Salome,
Elektra, and the enchanting Viennese
rococo comedy Der Rosenkavalier. All
these operas had been premiered by the
Dresden Court Opera; dedicated to the
director of the Dresden ensembles, Count
Nicholas Seebach, An Alpine Symphony
thus became a huge thank-you present to
its orchestra. Premiered in Berlin under
the composer’s baton on October 28,
1915, it was only a muted success, as in the
second year of the Great War, audiences
were in no mood to fully appreciate its
sonic splendors.

Innovation

has always been at the heart of
Willow Valley Communities’ success.

With the opening of The Clubhouse, Willow Valley breaks
through convention to create something that once again helps
redefine senior living. Every amenity in this 30,000-square-foot
building illustrates the spirit of “agelessness” that guides the
philosophy of development at Willow Valley. The building is also a
reflection of our organization’s commitment to intergenerational
engagement. The Clubhouse opens a new world of possibilities
for those who live at Willow Valley and creates a spirit of vibrancy
compelling to people of all ages.

Life Lived Forward

866.230.0279 | Lancaster, PA
WillowValleyCommunities.org | LifeLivedForward.org
SEPTEMBER– OCTOBER 2015 |

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