One of the composer's most highly regarded operas, with a libretto by Hugo von Hoffmansthal that artfully intermingles backstage comedy, the lofty emotions of Greek mythology and the merry pranks of a troupe of commedia dell arte players. Strauss endowed these antic proceedings with a luminous score that combines music of great satiric wit with breathtaking flights of lyricism. Reprinted from the definitive full-score edition published by Adolph Furstner following the opera's 1916 premiere at the Vienna State Opera."

2016 Reprint of 1948 Edition. Full facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. Berlioz's work was first published in 1843/4 in French, then reissued in 1855 in a revised and enlarged edition. It remains a landmark in the history of the symphony orchestra, and though there have been numerous technical improvements in the manufacture and playing of instruments since the composer's time, especially concerning wind and brass instruments, the work still retains much of its value. In 1904 Richard Strauss was asked to update the text to include some modern...