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Praised for her unparalleled acting ability and beautiful soprano voice, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa is among the most celebrated opera stars of her generation. A major attraction at opera houses and recital halls around the world, Te Kanawa was elevated to celebrity status with a performance at the wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana. Te Kanawa is especially known for her Mozart and Richard Strauss roles, though her performances and extensive recording catalog covered operas by many composers as well as concert works, musical theater, recitals, and even jazz and blues, reaching well beyond the realm of strictly classical music listeners. Te Kanawa was given the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Gramophone Classical Music Awards in 2017.

Te Kanawa was born Claire Mary Teresa Rawstron on March 6, 1944, in Gisborne, New Zealand. She was adopted as an infant by Thomas and Nell Te Kanawa, who named her Kiri after Thomas' father. Studying with Dame Sister Mary Leo Niccol, she began her career performing in New Zealand clubs. A win at the 1965 Mobil Song Quest awarded her a grant to study in London. That year, her first recording was issued, an EP containing the Nuns' Chorus from Johann Strauss II's Casanova and Handel's "Let the Bright Seraphim" from Samson. This recording became the first-ever gold record produced in New Zealand. In 1966, after appearing in the film Don't Let It Get You and winning the Sun Aria contest in Melbourne, Te Kanawa enrolled at the London Opera Center, where she studied with Vera Rózsa and James Robertson. Shortly after, she made her first stage appearance as the Second Lady in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte.

In 1969, Te Kanawa appeared as Elena in Rossini's La donna del lago at the Comden Festival and made her debut at Covent Garden in the role of Xenia in Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov the following year. Her U.S. debut came in the summer of 1971 at the Santa Fe Opera as the Countess in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro, which also featured a young Frederica von Stade. Te Kanawa's career took off when she reprised the role later that year at Covent Garden under Sir Colin Davis. After her audition for the role, Davis was quoted in The Royal Opera House in the Twentieth Century as saying, "I couldn't believe my ears.... Let's hear her again and see if we're not dreaming." While her Countess made Te Kanawa famous, she quickly expanded her repertoire, adding roles in the Mozart operas Don Giovanni, Così fan tutte, and Die Zauberflöte. Her Metropolitan Opera debut came in 1974 as a short-notice substitute for Teresa Stratas as Desdemona in Verdi's Otello. Te Kanawa continued to make major opera house debuts throughout the 1970s, and in 1977 at the Houston Grand Opera, she made her first appearance in the titular role in Richard Strauss' Arabella, a composer whose works also garnered her fame. Other R. Strauss roles she championed were the Countess in Capriccio and Marschallin in Der Rosenkavalier.

In 1981, Te Kanawa performed at the wedding of England's Prince Charles and Princess Diana, and her performance of "Let the Bright Seraphim" was broadcast worldwide to an audience of more than 600 million viewers. The following year, she was made a Dame of the Order of the British Empire for services to opera and was named Artist of the Year by Gramophone magazine. Leonard Bernstein tapped Te Kanawa in 1984 to star alongside tenor José Carreras as his leads in a new recording of West Side Story, with the composer conducting. The recording was released in 1985, along with a documentary made during the recording sessions, The Making of West Side Story. The new recording was a hit, earning a Grammy Award for Best Cast Show Album.

Te Kanawa remained active into the 21st century, stepping back from operatic appearances but remaining busy as a recitalist, concert soloist, educator, and recording artist. In 2004, she founded the Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation in New Zealand to mentor, support, and offer financial assistance to young musicians. In 2010, with BBC Radio 2, she held the Kiri Prize Competition, which received more than 600 auditions. The winner, Shuna Scott Sendall, performed with Te Kanawa and Carreras at the BBC Proms that fall. That year, Te Kanawa made two appearances as Marschallin at the Cologne Opera and returned to the Met as the Duchess in Donizetti's La fille du regiment, a speaking part, reprising this role over the next few years at several opera houses. In 2013, she was featured on the television series Downton Abbey as Dame Nellie Melba. Te Kanawa's final performance, though only she knew at the time, was in a 2016 concert in Ballarat, Australia. She officially announced her retirement in 2017 but continued teaching and mentoring young singers. That year, she was awarded the Lifetime Achievement from the Gramophone Classical Music Awards. Auckland's Aotea Centre renamed its ASB Theatre the Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre in 2019, with the famed soprano honored with a gala at its unveiling. ~ Keith Finke

Brigitte Fassbaender is a prominent mezzo-soprano known for her acclaimed performances of the standard opera repertoire. Born in Berlin, in 1939, she had a childhood dream of becoming an actress, just her like mother, the film star Sabine Peters. As she realized how good her singing voice was, Fassbaender auditioned for the Nuremberg Conservatory, where her father, the famous baritone Willi Domgraf-Fassbaender taught. She studied with her father from 1957 until 1961, and in 1961 made her debut at the Bavarian State Opera as a Page in Lohengrin. However, she considers Nicklaus in Les contes d'Hoffmann her debut role; it was her first truly solo part. A 1962 telecast of Eugene Onegin with Fritz Wunderlich, in which she sang Olga, has been preserved. She sang minor roles for several years, and in 1965 got her big break when she was assigned the role of Clarice in Rossini's La pietra del paragone. She also sang at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein, Düsseldorf-Duisburg, Stuttgart, and Frankfurt am Main. In 1971, she sang Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier for her debut at London's Covent Garden. This role also served for her debut at the Metropolitan Opera, in 1974. Because of her admirable figure she was always in demand for trouser roles such as Octavian, Cherubino in The Marriage of Figaro, Sextus in La Clemenza di Tito, and Prince Orlovsky in Die Fledermaus. At the Salzburg Festival she sang Dorabella in Così fan tutte from 1972 until 1978; in 1989, she returned as Klytemnestra in Elektra. She also appeared there as Eboli in Don Carlos and Amneris in Aida, under the direction of Karajan. In 1983 and 1984, she sang Waltraute in Götterdämmerung, at Bayreuth. At Vienna, in 1976, Fassbaender sang in the world premiere of Einem's "Kabale und Liebe." Her career took her to the major opera houses, including Milan, Tokyo, Paris, San Francisco, and Geneva. She made each of her characters a living entity, embellishing them with touches which made them unique. She was a favored singer of many conductors, including Herbert von Karajan and Carlos Kleiber. Fassbaender was also a highly esteemed recitalist and concert performer. She was most successful with narrative songs, particularly when she had the opportunity to tell a complete story and create one or more characters. In her performances, Fassbaender respected the dramatic and musical needs of a composition, without allowing either to overpower her interpretation. She was especially admired for her interpretation of Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde and Brahms' Alto Rhapsody. Her lieder recitals were always eagerly anticipated, particularly her performances of Schubert and Schumann. In 1987, Fassbaender's Deutsche Grammophon recording of songs by Liszt and Strauss brought her a Grammophone Award. Fassbaender's other critically acclaimed recordings include Schubert's Winterreise, Karl Loewe's Frauenliebe, and Die Schöne Magelone by Brahms. She appeared less often in oratorios, because of her busy opera schedule, however, remained in demand for works of Bach, Rossini, and Mendelssohn. As she cut back singing in opera houses, she began a second career as a stage director, beginning at Coburg with Rossini's La Cenerentola. Since that time, she has staged many operas, including Der Rosenkavalier and Franz Schreker's Der ferne Klang. Having retired as an opera singer, she teaches vocal music at the Musikhochscule in Munich.

When American tenor Richard Leech made his Metropolitan Opera debut (as Faust in the Gounod treatment) in 1989, the event had none of the dazzling energy that accompanies a breakthrough performance by a previously-unknown but clearly top-rank virtuoso; Leech had long been known to New York audiences and critics and was by 1989 an almost 20-year veteran of the professional stage. Leech was born in Hollywood in the late 1950s. His musical training was unconventional, at least from the modern point of view (it would have, however, been considered perfectly ordinary a few centuries back): he never attended any university or conservatory, even tangentially through a private teacher. Instead, he began filling minor roles in productions by the Tri-Cities Opera in Binghamton, NY, at the age of 15, and remained with that company, gradually taking on more demanding and more noteworthy roles, until well into the 1980s. He won top prize at Italy's Enrico Caruso Voice Competition in 1981, but remained with the Tri-Cities Opera afterwards in order to keep developing on his own terms (he could have joined La Scala as part of the Caruso prize). Leech made a Carnegie Hall debut in 1984, and a New York City Opera debut that same year. So when he strode out onto the stage at the Met in 1989 -- which is the same year that he first appeared in front of audiences at La Scala, rather belatedly, from their point of view -- he was anything but a journeyman.

Richard Leech has been, from the mid-1990s on, arguably America's most visible classical vocal star. In addition to performances with opera companies and orchestras the world over, his gifts have been heard at a number of civic events, including the opening ceremonies for the 1995 America's Cup yacht races and at the 1994 lighting of the National Christmas Tree in Washington, D.C.

Since the mid-'80s, Olaf Bär has been counted among the more prominent German baritones of his generation. He has sung important operatic roles in the works of Richard Strauss, Mozart, Weber, and many others, but has especially distinguished himself in the lieder of Schubert and Schumann.

Bär was born in Dresden, Germany, on December 19, 1957. As a child he exhibited rare vocal talent and, in 1968, was taken into the Dresden Children's Choir. He eventually began studies at the Hochschule für Musik in his native city.

In his mid-twenties he took a string of first prizes at major vocal competitions that included the Dvorák competition in Karlovy Vary, Czechoslovakia (1982), and London's Walther Grüner Lieder Competition (1983).

1985 was a pivotal year for Bär: he became a member of the Dresden State Opera, made his first recording with EMI and also debuted at Covent Garden singing Harlequin in Strauss' Ariadne auf Naxos. That premiere EMI recording was an acclaimed lieder disc of Schumann's Dichterliebe, Op. 48, and Liederkreis, Op. 39. He would later record other lieder repertory, including Schubert's Die schöne Müllerin, which garnered him a Gramophone Award.

In 1986 Bär scored a pair of successes when he appeared at both La Scala and the Vienna State Opera portraying Papageno from Mozart's The Magic Flute, a role he would reprise in his American debut at the Chicago Lyric Opera in 1996. Appearances at Glyndebourne in 1987 and 1991 in Richard Strauss and Mozart operas further fueled his meteoric ascent, an ascent that hardly slowed when the singer confronted and overcame possibly career-ending vocal problems over a stretch of nearly two years.

Bär made numerous recordings in the mid-'90s with other major singers, including Anne Sofie von Otter (of Wolf's Spanisches Liederbuch in 1995) and Dawn Upshaw (of Wolf's Italienisches Liederbuch in 1996). Bär remained active on the operatic stage despite his growing attention to the lieder genre and the enormous successes it has brought him. At the 1999 Vienna Fesitival he sang Dr. Falke in Die Fledermaus, a role he successfully reprised at the 2001 Salzburg Festival. That same year he also appeared in Schubert's Alfonso und Estrella at the Zurich Opera House. In Paris in 2005, he once again reprised one of his favorite roles, that of Papageno. Bär has lived most of his life in Dresden.

One of the most versatile artists of the 20th century's second half, baritone (or bass baritone) Tom Krause excelled in music from Bach to Britten, Mozart to Searle. Though not exceptionally large or sensuous, Krause's cleanly produced instrument never issued unpleasant sounds, and the singer's refined artistic instincts conspired to keep his work at a high level. Even in situations calling for a greater weight of voice than he really commanded, his clear diction and canny sensitivity to the right accents enabled him to give the impression of authority.

Krause intended to pursue a career in medicine in his native city, but found that a taste for light music and later, an interest in singing, were moving him toward a musical career. He entered the Vienna Music Academy in 1956, and upon completion of his studies there, made his debut in 1959 at Berlin's Städtische Oper. The role was Escamillo, an impersonation he was to record on two subsequent occasions. Early international exposure came through the Kurwenal he recorded with Solti and Birgit Nilsson. Numerous engagements followed at opera houses and concert stages throughout Middle Europe, and in 1962, Krause became a member of the company at Hamburg where he endeared himself to the public in Wagner, Verdi, and (especially) Mozart roles. After only five years, he was made a Kammersänger. For his home theater, he participated in the premieres of Ernst Krenek's Der Goldene Bock in 1964 and Humphrey Searle's Hamlet in 1968. Meanwhile, Krause had made his Bayreuth debut as the Herald in Lohengrin (1962) and the following year appeared at the Glyndebourne Festival for the first time as the Count in Strauss' Capriccio.

In the United States, Krause took part in the American premiere of Britten's War Requiem and made his Metropolitan Opera debut as Mozart's Almaviva on October 11, 1967. In six seasons, Krause was heard in 43 performances, including three other roles: Malatesta, Guglielmo, and Escamillo. The later was captured on disc together with Marilyn Horne's Carmen and James McCracken's massive Don José, all under Leonard Bernstein's revisionist eye. Chicago heard Krause as Guglielmo on-stage at the Lyric Opera and as a moving Christus in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra performances of Bach's St. Matthew Passion under Solti. Krause later participated in Solti's recording of the work.

Krause's Salzburg debut came in 1968 when he sang the title role in Don Giovanni, beginning a productive relationship with the festival. Thirty years after his first appearance, he sang in Salzburg's widely praised production of Messiaen's Saint François d'Assise. Paris heard Krause for the first time in 1973; La Scala welcomed him two years later. While heard to best advantage on-stage in Mozart, Krause made effective studies of such other roles as Pizzaro, Golaud, Amfortas, and portrayed a light-voiced but vivid Amonasro.

During his lengthy career, Krause made many studio recordings with first-class collaborators. His Pizzaro with Nilsson, McCracken, and a hard-driving Lorin Maazel is intimidatingly nasty. His numerous Bach recordings reveal a mellifluous voice and sympathetic interpretation joined with stylistic keenness. Both of his recorded Escamillos, if not the last word in bravura, show both dramatic flair and the ability to truly voice the many low-lying phrases. Finally, Krause's many recordings of German lieder and Scandinavian and Russian songs are the work of an insightful, engaging artist.

Since its inception in 1842, the Wiener Philharmoniker (or Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in English) has represented the best in the Central European orchestral tradition. Before the Wiener Philharmoniker was founded, there was no permanent, professional orchestra to be found outside the opera halls in the city of Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven. The Wiener Philharmoniker is one of the most traditional orchestras in the world today, with much-beloved traditions, like the annual New Year's concerts of waltzes by the Strauss family.

In 1833, Franz Lachner, conductor at the Hofoper, had formed a musicians' association from the ranks of the opera orchestras to play symphonic music, but this was a temporary endeavor. Nine years later, a group of music critics and other interested parties persuaded Otto Nicolai, principal conductor of the Kärntertortheater, to conduct the first Wiener Philharmoniker concert at the Grosser Redoutensaal (Great Ballroom) on March 28, 1842. The group was founded as the first completely self-governing orchestra, and it has remained so ever since. Although concerts were irregular until 1860, the orchestra quickly built up a reputation. From 1860 to 1875, Otto Dessoff was the permanent conductor, bringing the music of Brahms, Wagner, and Liszt into the concert halls. Hans Richter succeeded Dessoff and conducted the orchestra until 1898, introducing Bruckner and Dvorák to Viennese audiences. Both of these conductors played major roles in establishing the Wiener Philharmoniker as one of the finest orchestras in the world. During this time, the Wiener Philharmoniker had numerous premieres of now-classic works such as Brahms' Second Symphony and Bruckner's Eighth; sometimes, as in the case of Bruckner's Third, the premiere was conducted by the composer himself. The great Gustav Mahler conducted from 1898 to 1901, but his tenure was marked by dissension within the orchestra.

The longest-term conductor of the post-Mahler era was Felix Weingartner, from 1908 to 1927. He was beloved by the orchestra for his measured, classical style and, in particular, for his Beethoven interpretations. From 1933 to 1938, the revered conductors Bruno Walter and Wilhelm Furtwängler shared the subscription concerts; after Hitler's annexation of Austria in 1938, the Nazi Party dissolved the orchestra, but the decision was reversed after Furtwängler intervened. The Wiener Philharmoniker led an uneasy life during the war but afterward reclaimed its place in the world's orchestral pantheon. The list of conductors who have led Wiener Philharmoniker subscription concerts reads like an honor roll of maestros; Richard Strauss, Arturo Toscanini, Herbert von Karajan, and Leonard Bernstein have each taken turns at the podium.

The Wiener Philharmoniker has held an annual New Year's Day Concert of Strauss family works, particularly those of Johann II, since 1941 when Clemens Krauss began the tradition; the first of these concerts was actually held on New Year's Eve in 1939, after which the concert has occurred on New Year's Day. Riccardo Muti led the orchestra in its 80th New Year's concert in 2021, marking his sixth appearance in the series. While some of its traditions are revered, others have come under fire in recent years. Though the Wiener Philharmoniker premiered a lot of music in its early days, it now prefers to play mostly music written before 1900, which created a controversy at the Salzburg Festival during the 1990s. The orchestra also refused until 1997 to accept a female musician as a full member, threatening to disband rather than cave in to political pressure. The first woman member of the Wiener Philharmoniker was harpist Anna Lelkes, who was granted full membership after 26 years of service. Simone Young was the first woman to conduct the Wiener Philharmoniker in 2005, and in 2008, Albena Danailova became the orchestra's first female concertmaster. Historically, the Wiener Philharmoniker has opposed hiring musicians who are not Central European in order to preserve what is perceived as a unique quality of sound. While the orchestra's policies may be controversial, it cannot be disputed that the Wiener Philharmoniker is one of the world's finest orchestras, performing with exceptional finesse and clarity, with a beautifully blended woodwind and brass sound that meshes perfectly with its subtle, lush strings.

The Wiener Philharmoniker is celebrated on 24-carat gold bullion coins issued by the Austrian Mint. In 2006, the design of the coinage was featured by Austrian Airlines on its airplanes to promote both the orchestra and the sale of the coins, which are among the most popular with investors. ~ Andrew Lindemann Malone

Known as a successful classical conductor, jazz pianist, and composer of jazz, classical, and film music, André Previn frequently bridged the gap between popular and so-called "serious" music, and in doing so broadened the horizons of both. A German-American who fled Nazi Germany with his family in his youth, he went on to win four Academy Awards, all for his work on film musicals in late '50s and '60s, including his adaptation of My Fair Lady (1964). By the '70s, he had established himself as one of the world's leading classical conductors, with terms at the London Symphony Orchestra (1968-1979), Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (1976-1984), and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (1985-1992). He also served as music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic from 1985 to 1989. During his tenure at the LSO, the BBC series André Previn's Music Hour made him household name. All the while, his career-spanning jazz recordings included collaborations with artists such as Benny Carter, Herb Ellis, and Shelly Manne, as well as classical artists including Itzhak Perlman, Leontyne Price, and Kiri Te Kanawa. Winner of ten Grammy Awards, Previn was the recipient of the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010.

A native of Berlin, Previn's father was an accomplished pianist (though a lawyer by profession) and determined that his son would follow in his musical footsteps. The talented young André received instruction on the piano at the Berlin Hochschule, and also absorbed music in a less formal environment during the many private recitals given in the Previn home. In 1938, the Jewish family fled to France where André continued as a scholarship student at the Paris Conservatoire. In 1939, the Previn family relocated to southern California.

Life was difficult for the family (all their possessions had been left behind in Europe, and Previn's father was qualified only in German law), and though barely ten years old, André supplemented the family income by accompanying films at movie houses and playing in jazz clubs. At 14 he started working at MGM (Charles Previn, André's great uncle, was head of music at Universal Studios), orchestrating and arranging film music, and slowly saved enough money to study composition with Castelnuovo-Tedesco. At 18, André was asked to compose his own full-length film score, 1949's The Sun Comes Up, which resulted in his first experience on the podium in front of a real orchestra.

Previn, who had taken U.S. citizenship in 1943, served in San Francisco during the Korean War, where he had the opportunity to study conducting with Pierre Monteux. Following discharge from the army, Previn left MGM, but continued to compose, conduct, and arrange film music throughout the '50s, winning Academy Awards for his score adaptations of Gigi (1958) and Porgy & Bess (1959). He also recorded and released a series of best-selling jazz albums, something he would continue to do sporadically throughout the decades.

In the early '60s, Previn's film scores included such enduring works as Elmer Gantry (1960) and The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1962). Shortly before winning his third and fourth Academy Awards for Irma la Douce (1963) and My Fair Lady (1964), Previn found the courage to abandon Hollywood and pursue his dream of becoming a respected conductor. His professional debut occurred in 1963 with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, and he spent the next several years traveling around the country conducting various little-known orchestras in an effort to gain exposure and develop his own skill on the podium. His first big break occurred in 1967 when he was asked to succeed Sir John Barbirolli as music director of the Houston Symphony. When offered the job of principal conductor for the London Symphony Orchestra in 1968, Previn left Houston. During his 11 years with the orchestra (1968-1979), a series of BBC television productions entitled André Previn's Music Hour made the LSO (and Previn) a household name around the world. Other conducting appointments included the Pittsburgh Symphony (1976-1984), the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra (1985-1989), and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (1985-1992).

Previn readily admitted that he was not driven to compose, doing so mostly by request, but he nevertheless composed a generous quantity of concert music, including a piano concerto for Vladimir Ashkenazy and a cello sonata at the request of Yo-Yo Ma. The year 1998 saw the release of his full-length opera A Streetcar Named Desire at the San Francisco Opera. In 2009, Houston Grand Opera presented his Brief Encounter, based on the 1945 film of the same name and its source material, the Noël Coward play Still Life. That year, Previn's diverse career was celebrated with a series of four concerts at Carnegie Hall in honor of his 80th birthday. A year later, he was presented with the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Previn passed away at the end of February 2019.~ Blair Johnston & Marcy Donelson

Johann Strauss, Jr. is the first truly well-known composer in those classical genres particular to his hometown, the Viennese waltz and Viennese operetta. The Blue Danube Waltz is not only the most popular of his works in the former category, but is among the most widely played and arranged pieces of its time, known to the most casual listener today from many radio, film and television uses of it.

Johann Strauss, Jr. was born in Vienna on October 25, 1825. He showed remarkable skills early in his childhood, despite his father's opposition to any career in music for any of his three sons. Johann, Sr. wanted him to become a banker, but the younger Strauss had his own ideas, taking violin lessons in secret from a player in his father's band. When Strauss was 17 his father left the family, thus allowing him to begin serious study without encumbrance. His mother, a good amateur violinist who had always encouraged him, remained supportive. Strauss now studied theory with Joseph Drechsler and took violin lessons from Anton Kohlmann. In 1844 young Johann led his first concert and a year later formed his own band, thereby competing with his father's orchestra. He was also writing his own quadrilles, mazurkas, polkas, and waltzes for performance by his ensemble, even conducting works by his father, and receiving praise from the press. He was given the honorary position of Bandmaster of the 2nd Vienna Citizens' Regiment (his father was bandmaster of the 1st regiment) in 1845, and in 1847 began composing for the Vienna Men's Choral Association.

His real success began in 1849 after Johann Strauss, Sr. died. Johann, Jr. merged his father's orchestra with his own and took up his father's contracts. His career moved along smoothly for the next several years, but in 1853 he became seriously ill and turned over conducting duties to his younger brother, Josef, for six months. After his recovery he resumed fully both his conducting and his composing activities, eventually gaining the respect of such composers as Brahms, Wagner, and Verdi for his seemingly unlimited imagination for using melodies.

Strauss married singer Henriette "Jetty" Treffz in August 1862, and they settled in Hietzing. Thereafter, she became his business manager and apparently a great inspiration, drawing him toward operetta, just as Viennese theater operators were becoming tired of the works of Offenbach. His first, Indigo und die vierzig Räuber, came in 1871, and his most famous, Die Fledermaus, was staged three years later with great success. Eine Nacht in Venedig (1883) and Der Zigeunerbaron (1885) were his only other international operetta hits.

In 1872, he traveled to the United States and led highly successful concerts in Boston and New York. For all the success that came in the 1870s for Strauss, there was also much grief: his mother and brother Josef died in 1870, and his wife died suddenly of a heart attack in 1878. Her death devastated him, and the suddenly helpless composer unwisely married the much-younger actress Angelika Dittrich, six weeks later. The marriage lasted only four years, though it may have saved the composer from personal disaster in the months following his wife's death.

Strauss, a Roman Catholic, left the church and had to give up his Austrian citizenship to marry Adele Deutsch in 1887, owing to the Church's unwillingness to recognize his divorce. His new wife, with whom he had lived for a long period before their marriage, seemed to inspire him much like his first wife. In his last years, Strauss remained quite productive and active. He was working on a ballet, Cinderella, when he developed a respiratory ailment which grew into pneumonia. He died on June 3, 1899. ~ Robert Cummings