Richard Georg Strauss was a leading German composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras. He is known for his operas, which include
Der Rosenkavalier,
Elektra,
Die Frau ohne Schatten and
Salome; his Lieder, especially his
Four Last Songs; his tone poems, including
Don Juan,
Death and Transfiguration, and
An Alpine Symphony; and other instrumental works such as
Metamorphosen and his Oboe Concerto. Strauss was also a prominent conductor in Western Europe and the Americas, enjoying quasi-celebrity status as his compositions became standards of orchestral and operatic repertoire.
Strauss, along with
Gustav Mahler, represents the late flowering of German
Romanticism after
Richard Wagner, in which pioneering subtleties of orchestration are combined with an advanced harmonic style.