“Meeting this ingenious man was of the highest significance to me”, Böhm writes in his autobiography. He was referring to Richard Strauss. During the 1930s, a relationship developed between the two artists which far exceeded a purely artistic partnership. Strauss’ particular esteem of Böhm culminated in his ‘artistic testament’ which Strauss sent to Böhm in 1945 and in which he, amongst other things, specified his thoughts on the future of opera. The music of Richard Strauss was to remain a focal point in the repertoire of Karl Böhm. As he worked on many scores with the composer, his Strauss interpretations can be considered authentic – as in these recordings, officially issued on CD for the first time. Made between 1952 and 1954 with the RIAS Symphony Orchestra, only a few years after the death of the composer, Böhm’s Strauss interpretations convince due to their clarity and the consistency of the overall conception.
