Moi, Je Fai l' Histoire de la Musique by Richard Strauss Edited by Christophe Looten

  Moi, Je Fai L'Histoire de la Musique

by Richard Strauss Edited by Christophe Looten has been a bit surprising. I was in fact waiting for an autobiography, while the reader at first can be deluded. This one is not an autobiography in the common sense of the word but reunites several writings by Richard Strauss to give to the reader a complete idea of this sophiticated musician. These writings were firstly published in 2016. In this book are reunited most of the writings found in that book, in chronoligical sense. This book is precious under many ways, because once the reluctancy will be over,sometimes appears too technical, you will discover a soul impregnated by music, someone who lived just for it, and that was in grade to bring beauty and fascination in the world thanks to his beautiful world.

Strauss and the other composers he treated like Brahms, Mahler, plus the anniversay of the birth of Wagner with celebrations, his contacts with Zweig... 

Richard Strauss considered the center of Europe the most intellectual fertile land and Germany for sure the heart of the world. Strauss explains why he said this: the biggest expressive faculty can be found in the tragedies by Wagner, but also in Bach who lived during the War of Thirty Years...What other can be said of the divine Mozart? The human soul, adds Strauss took more than 2000 years of different philosophies to define what it is: then, surprise! we can find the answer into the melodies developed by Mozart.

300 years where the human spirit presented to the world an immensity of wonderful and immortal works. These centuries offered to an evoluted humanity the biggest pleasure, irrigating the five Continents with harmony. Great was his sadness because Hiter, a mad (fou) without any education, criminal and ignorant has been in grade to destroy a place where lived the most cultivated people of the world, the strongest ones and with a big army. The comparison of Germany with Greece and in particular Athen where flourished the stunning wonderful greek culture is taking in consideration by Strauss.

"Good-bye strong dying Germany, destroyed by the hands of men: Germany that created the german music conducting to a world-culture devoted to it." 

Strauss was shocked by the destruction of the theather of Dresde. Just two days before the anniversary of death of Richard Wagner. "The beauty Dresde and the Saint Weimar are in flame..." writes.  Strauss writes also that the house where Beethoven died was destroyed. 

It is interesting to see the reaction at these tragedies, on Richard Strauss.

"Twelve years of Reign of Bestiality, of ignorance, and inculture . 2000 years have been destroyed par "Une soldatesque criminelle" putting a big finger also againt the technique who had ruined the world where people harmonically lived.

Nothing else must be add. But still Man continues to be brutal, with new wars, new destructions and new ends. 

Highly recommended book.

I thank Fayard for the physical copy of the book.

Anna Maria Polidori