Richard Georg Strauss (1864?1949) was a leading German composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras. The son of Franz Strauss, the principal horn player of the Court Opera in Munich, received a thorough musical education from his father.

When Straus was 16 years old he met Hans von B?low, who had a strong influence on Strauss's music career. At the recommendation of von B?low, he became active as a conductor, eventually making his way up to conductor of the prestigious Vienna State Opera. Initially, Strauss was devoting himself to Brahms'music due to his father's influence, but eventually opened up to Berlioz, Liszt, and especially Wagner, showing a strong interest in his program music.

Strauss'symphonic poems such as "Don Juan", "Thus Spoke Zarathustra", "Don Quixote", and "A Hero's Life" were inspired by Wagner. Especially, Strauss used the leitmotif in many of his works. His pioneering subtleties of orchestration combined with an advanced harmonic style and Wagner's leitmotif opened new pathways for the symphonic poem. Strauss, who was infatuated with Wagner, wrote many operas, considered more emotional and sensual than Wagner's. He had also composed many songs, and they occupy an important position in the history of modern German lieder.

8 Poems, Op. 10 (Acht Lieder aus Letzte Bl?tter) written in 1885 is Strauss'first collection of songs and one of his earlier works. Lyrics were from poetry collections by the Austrian Hermann von Gilm. Titled "Gedichte aus Letzte Blatter", the words beautifully capture reflections of days with a passed loved one.

In this work, I have chosen and made arrangements from "1. Zueignung", "2. Nichts", and "8. Allerseelen".

(Toshinari Iijima)