In these live recordings, the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks and its longtime chief conductor Mariss Jansons present two "heroic" tone poems by Richard Strauss. With his "Don Juan", the young and aspiring Strauss secured himself a lasting place in the musical life of the German Empire and proved to be a prematurely consummate master of the symphonic poem genre. "Ein Heldenleben" ("A Hero's Life"), written at the turn of the 20th century, is a work of unshakeable self-confidence in every regard. Strauss left everyone in little doubt that he had portrayed himself as the hero in his music, and the work met with an ambivalent reception. Today, with its massive score for over one hundred musicians, "Ein Heldenleben" ranks as one of the great touchstones for a symphony orchestra – and with its extensive solo violin part, for a concertmaster too.