Richard Strauss in National Socialism
Like all artists who lived in Germany between 1933 and 1945, the composer also had to Richard Strauss (1864-1949) think about how to deal with Hitler and his regime should. Surely you too have to admit that this was not an easy decision for an artist.
Richard Strauss - musician and diplomat
The attitude of the composer Richard Strauss towards the Nazis is still controversial today. On the one hand, he never cooperated uncritically with those in power. For example, he stepped in for the conductor Bruno Walter, because he was no longer allowed to conduct because of his Jewish descent. However, the composer insisted that posters and program slips mention that Walter should actually have conducted this concert.
There was a similar incident with the world premiere of the opera “Die Schweigsame Frau”. The text for this opera comes from the Jew Stefan Zweig. Here, too, Strauss insisted that his name be mentioned. Then Hitler stayed away from the premiere.
So you can see that Strauss was at odds. After all, he was president of the Reichsmusikkammer from 1933 to 1935 and conducted a cultural-political rally himself in 1938, when he no longer held this office. Strauss could have made a difference in this role, but this would have endangered his work as a composer. So he obviously thought it wise to seek compromises.
The fact that he succeeded is also evident in the fact that Strauss was included by the Nazis on the special list of the three most important musicians of the Third Reich. Besides him, only the musicians Hans Pfitzner and Wilhelm Furtwängler received this honor.
Richard Strauss was not only an excellent musician and composer, but also a great diplomat.
You are probably like most of the fact that when you hear the surname Strauss and ...
Richard Strauss - a life full of compromises
But you are doing Richard Strauss an injustice when you condemn him for his compromise with the Hitler regime. Of course, he continued to be artistically active as a result. But there was another reason why Strauss did not join the resistance movement. That reason was Alice, the composer's daughter-in-law. She was Jewish and thus Richard Strauss's grandchildren were considered “Jewish mixed race”. Obviously Richard Strauss didn't just want to compose in peace, he also wanted to protect his family.
Surely you know from your own experience that every compromise has its price. For example, Strauss had promised the conductor Fritz Busch that he would conduct the world premiere of his opera “Arabella”. Unfortunately, Busch was expelled from the country by the Nazis. In this situation, Strauss decided on the following compromise: he had Clemens Kraus conduct the world premiere and the opera was dedicated to Fritz Busch. Grete Busch, Fritz Busch's wife, never forgave him for this step.
The Nazi rule forced Richard Strauss to live a life full of compromises. But only in this way was he able to protect his family in Germany stay and compose. As the example with regard to the opera “Arabella” shows, Strauss could not implement everything he wanted, but always had to find a middle ground.
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