After having practised copiously within this genre from his earliest childhood onwards, Richard Strauss had advanced to become one of the leading composers of lieder with his around 40 songs op. 10 to op. 29 composed between 1885 and 1895. During this period, he had created numerous lieder which had swift ly gained popularity and are still part of today’s standard repertoire. Strauss was well aware of his success as displayed in a letter to the publishing house Adolph Fürstner on 7 February 1896 during negotiations for his fee for the Lieder op. 31: "Dear Mr Fürstner! It is not a mistake that I now charge 300 marks for each song. My lieder have steadily gained success, are frequently sung and universally popular: I have therefore slightly raised my prices."

The lieder op. 31 to op. 43 (incl. Weihnachtsgefühl) originated during a creative phase in which Strauss applied himself intensively to the lied genre as clearly demonstrated by the examination of the dating of the songs. The composition of the lieder between op. 10 and op. 29 was undertaken over a period of ten years whereas the equally extensive opuses 31 to 43 were completed in just under half the time: between 1895 and 1899. At this time, Strauss also began orchestrating a number of his lieder with piano for orchestra in preparation for large-scale concerts which would also feature other works such as his tone poems. Th is repertoire was further augmented by the composition of genuine songs for voice and orchestra.

As in earlier periods, Strauss was inspired to compose his lieder aft er reading poetry. This is documented by the numerous surviving poetry volumes in his own personal library from which the composer utilised poems for his lieder from op. 31 to op. 43. This can be recognised through the copious markings in these volumes: frequently merely a cross or scored line as a reminder of the text, but sometimes also initial musical sketches and particularly notes on possible keys and harmonic sequences. The composition of a song therefore began while the composer was still holding the book in his hand.

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.