54″ x 36″
Oil on Canvas
Available
Strauss’s An Alpine Symphony was completed in 1915
The story of An Alpine Symphony depicts the experiences of eleven hours (from twilight just before dawn to the following nightfall) spent climbing an Alpine mountain.
One point of influence comes from Strauss’s love of nature. As a boy, Strauss experienced an Alpine adventure similar to the one described in his An Alpine Symphony: he and a group of climbers lost their way heading up a mountain and were caught in a storm and soaked on the way down.[8] This interest in nature can also point to Strauss’s followings of the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche.[10]
The original drafts of An Alpine Symphony began in 1899. It was to be written in memory of the Swiss painter, Karl Stauffer-Bern, and the work was originally titled Künstlertragödie (Tragedy of an Artist).