Richard Strauss – Also Sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30

Richard Strauss (1864–1949) was a German composer and conductor, known for his orchestral tone poems and operas. Born in Munich to a musical family, Strauss blended late Romanticism with modernism, often pushing the boundaries of his day. Collaborating with librettist Hugo von Hofmannsthal, he created operatic masterpieces marked by dramatic intensity and beauty. His legacy endures as a master of orchestration and a towering figure in classical music.