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Strauss: Also sprach Zarathustra

Stephen Johnson explores Strauss's tone poem Also sprach Zarathustra, discussing how the composer adapted Nietzsche's complex and controversial ideas for the work.

Strauss's famous sunrise opening of Also sprach Zarathustra is rather better known than the book which inspired it: Nietzsche's dense, philosophical novel of the same name. Stephen Johnson looks at what Strauss made of Nietzsche's deeply complex, and controversial ideas, and how he wielded this philosopher's grand vision for humanity into the questioning, and strangely unresolved musical work that follows.

Available now

20 minutes

Credit

Role Contributor
Composer Richard Strauss

Broadcast

  • Wed 19 Oct 2011 20:30

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