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Also sprach Zarathustra - R. Strauss (1896)
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Also sprach Zarathustra Op. 30

"Also sprach Zarathustra" was written under the influence of Nietzsche's writings, and especially the poetic-philosophical piece by this name. It was first performed in Frankfurt, 1896, and conducted by the composer. This is not a programme work in the characteristic descriptional style, but rather a piece in the spirit of Nietzsche's and his thought, therefore named after the origin. The piece includes parts titled the same as some of Nietzsche's poems (see below for examples). This work, in many people's opinion, is an expression of Strauss's exhilaration with the intensity of Nietzsche's ideas, being also a musician, among his other talents.

The plot tells us of Zarathustra, who went to the mountains and meditated there for ten years. One day, he turned to the rising sun and decided to go and grant his wisdom to mankind. The piece's somewhat hallucinated movements do not represent the story, except for the famous first movement, describing the sunrise. This movement became one of the best-known in the classical music repertory, especially for the motion picture "2001: A Space Odyssey", where it was incorporated into the soundtrack.

The work's movements:

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