150 birthday - Austria / II. Republic of Austria 2014 - 62 Euro Cent

On the occasion of the 150th birthday of Richard Strauss, Austrian Post is presenting one of the most important opera composers of the 20th century on a special stamp. He was considered in his early creative phase as a pioneer of modernity and opera revolutionary, the later neoclassical colored works were therefore taken to him by some critics evil - its popularity and its worldwide significance for the music world but this does not detract. Richard Strauss saw the light of day on June 11, 1864 in Munich. From his father, the first horn player of the Munich Court Orchestra, he inherited the musicality, from his mother he received the financial security, which allowed him artistic independence. At the age of six he began to compose, at the age of 20 he became Kapellmeister in Meiningen - further engagements in Munich and Weimar made Strauss one of the most sought-after conductors of his time. In 1889 he wrote Don Juan, one of his symphonic poems, which he himself described as tone poems. Soon he was traded as Germany's most important young composer. He married the singer Pauline de Ahna and was able to celebrate great successes with other tone poems such as "Till Eulenspiegel" or "Also sprach Zarathustra". In 1905, his opera "Salome" was premiered, which lyrically adhered largely to the drama of Oscar Wilde and inspired by its novelty, but also many people were offended. His subsequent collaboration with the librettist Hugo von Hofmannsthal resulted in unforgettable opera works such as "Elektra", "Der Rosenkavalier" or "Ariadne auf Naxos". Richard Strauss also acted as patron and artistic director. After serving as Berlin General Music Director, he became director of the Vienna State Opera in 1919, together with Franz Schalk, for five years. He was co-founder of the Salzburg Festival and always stood up for the rights of music makers. Less praiseworthy were the years 1933 to 1935, during which he served as President of the Reichsmusikkammer under the National Socialists. Only a dispute over his new Jewish librettist Stefan Zweig forced his resignation, but it never came to a break with the regime. After the war Strauss spent several years in Switzerland, where he composed his last work "Four Last Songs". He died on September 8, 1949 in Garmisch-Partenkirchen and left an impressive oeuvre of about 250 pieces of music of various genres.