Following the sudden death of the Austrian poet Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Richard Strauss realised he would have to find a new librettist. Although he was delighted to work with Stefan Zweig, the rise of Nazi power, with its anti-semitic policies, made it impossible for their collaboration to continue, much to Strauss's frustration. Strauss went on to work with two more librettists, but ultimately he was never completely satisfied.
With Donald Macleod and Professor Julian Johnson, Royal Holloway, University of London. Show less