Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia – Roma / Willis-Sørensen / Harding

There is a magic inherent in every beginning, as Hermann Hesse famously put it. Towards the end of his life, Richard Strauss set to music poems by – and one by Joseph von Eichendorff –, which his publisher compiled into a collection entitled »Vier letzte Lieder«. Strauss’s musical legacy is brought to life by the brilliant soprano Rachel Willis-Sørensen, who is known, amongst other things, for her portrayals of great Verdi heroines. The Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia performs under the baton of its principal conductor, Daniel Harding. The concert evening begins with Strauss’s early tone poem »Don Juan« from 1887–88, which brims with a zest for life. In the same decade, Johannes Brahms composed his Fourth and final symphony whilst on a summer retreat in Mürzzuschlag, Styria; this work brings the programme to a close.