Richard Strauss (1864–1949), the composer of large-scale operas and tone poems, also wrote lieder throughout his life. His entire oeuvre stretching over a period of 78 years is framed by lied compositions: the Weihnachtslied dating from December 1870 (the second entry in the chronological catalogue of Strauss’s works) and the lied Malven written in November 1948 (Strauss’s last completed composition). His lied compositions include lieder with piano accompaniment, genuine orchestral lieder and subsequent orchestrations of original lieder with piano. Strauss frequently conducted his own operas and orchestral works and also gave public performances of his lieder both as pianist and conductor. As was customary in the concert practice of the time, he combined lieder with larger-scale works: it was not uncommon for tone poems and lieder to appear on the same programme. Music publishing houses were active in the dissemination of Strauss lieder across the world: in the first prints, the early lieder were published in their original register, mostly only with the original German texts, but subsequent editions were issued for other vocal registers or with additional texts in English, as well as with French, Italian and Russian translations. The broad spectrum was rounded off by arrangements of lieder (such as purely instrumental piano arrangements by Max Reger and Walter Gieseking), arrangements and orchestrations by other composers and lieder albums containing collections of Strauss lieder not ordered chronologically according to their opus numbers. The fact that Strauss is to this day one of the most frequently performed composers is not only due to his operas and tone poems, but also his lieder, particularly the most treasured favourites. A number of these pieces are contained in this volume: Zueignung Op. 10 No. 1, Nichts Op. 10 No. 2, Die Nacht Op. 10 No. 3, Allerseelen Op. 10 No. 8, Ständchen Op. 17 No. 2, Ruhe, meine Seele! Op. 27 No. 1, Cäcilie Op. 27 No. 2, Heimliche Aufforderung Op. 27 No. 3, Morgen! Op. 27 No. 4, and Traum durch die Dämmerung Op. 29 No. 1.

The edition Richard Strauss Works · Critical Edition (RSW) is the first scholarly critical edition of Richard Strauss’s complete musical oeuvre. Up until now, the majority of his compositions have been available only in largely uncorrected reprints of older publications. In the new edition, all compositions in major genres – the complete stage works, orchestral works, lieder and songs, and chamber music – are newly edited and published in 64 volumes. The edition also incorporates different versions and fragments alongside a documentation of the sources, the genesis of individual works, and performance variations authorised by the composer. The edition consists of printed musical volumes with integrated critical reports and is augmented by an online platform featuring text comparisons and annotated collections of documents. The extensive introductions and footnotes are written in German and English.

Members of the Honorary Board: S. K. H. Franz Herzog von Bayern, Renée Fleming, Mariss Jansons (†), Prof. Dr. Peter Ruzicka, Prof. Dr. Alexander Strauss, Dr. Christian Strauss (†), Christian Thielemann

5 Facts about the edition:
*The first scholarly edition of the works of Richard Strauss
*Issued by the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Munich under the direction of Hartmut Schick in cooperation with the Richard Strauss Institute in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Work undertaken in the Richard Strauss Edition Research Centre at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität in Munich.
*The first volumes – Macbeth, Lieder Op. 10–29 and Don Juan – have been issued in April 2017.
*Critical reports are included in each volume; text comparisons and annotated collections of documents are available in digital form.
*Performance material to accompany the edition is in preparation.