The pieces for wind ensemble are among the more obscure of Richard Strauss’ works. The operas and symphonic works, as well as the lieder are well-known and justly appreciated by a wide public, but his considerable œuvre for various combinations of wind instruments has been neglected by performer and listener alike.

The recording consists of two early pieces, the Serenade opus 7 and the Suite opus 4 and one from his old age, the Fröliche Werkstatt Sonatina. 

Strauss’ fascination with the wind genre is hardly surprising when we learn that his father Franz Joseph was principal Horn to all intents and purposes at the Munich Court and also taught at the City’s Musik Hochschule. 

Octophoros hopes, through this recording to have played a small part in bringing a less well known facet of Strauss work to the attention of a wider public.

Booklet: EN