Wandrers Sturmlied

Wanderer's Storm Song (), Op. 14, TrV 131, is a choral work for choir and orchestra written by Richard Strauss in 1884, based on a 1772 poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe of .

Composition history

The piece was written when Strauss had come under the influence of the music of Johannes Brahms. It was completed on 22 May 1884. The work was premiered in Cologne with Strauss conducting the city orchestra and choir on 8 March 1887. The choir is divided into six parts: two soprano, alto, tenor and two bass. The work is dedicated to Franz Wüllner who had conducted the German premiere of Strauss' Symphony 2 in January 1885.

Instrumentation

The orchestral arrangement calls for:

• One piccolo, two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets in B, two bassoons, one contrabassoon
• Four French horns in F, two trumpets in D, three trombones
• Timpani
• Strings

Lyrics

Strauss sets the first 38 lines of Goethe's 116 line poem.

References

Further reading

• Norman Del Mar, Richard Strauss. A Critical Commentary on his Life and Works, Volume 3, London: Faber and Faber (2009)[1968] (second edition), .
• Schuh, Willi. Richard Strauss: A Chronicle of the Early Years 1864–1898, (translated by Mary Wittal), Cambridge University Press, 1982. .

External links

• , (piano–vocal score), Dresden Philharmonic, Ernst Senff Choir, conducted by Michel Plasson