The current volume presents two additional versions of Salome op. 54 personally compiled by Strauss after the composition of the German version (published in the RSW Series I, Vol. 3a): the first French Version prepared in cooperation with Romain Rolland in 1905 and published in 1906 and the Dresden Retouched Version, an adaptation dating from 1929 for lyrical soprano. Neither of these versions has up to now been accessible to a wider audience. The volume also includes the transition passage and conclusion of the individual edition of the Solo Scene dating from 1908 as a supplement to the RSW series I Vol. 3a. The current edition is constructed on preliminary work undertaken by Salome Reiser (1965–2014). She was the individual who discovered the retouches in a variety of conducting scores, thereby creating vital impulses for further research into this topic. She additionally succeeded in locating the decisive historical musical sources of the French Version, hereby laying the foundations for the edition. The documentation of the libretto, the correspondence quoted below and additional documents on the genesis and performance history of the versions in this sub-volume are published in full on the online platform: www.richard-strauss-ausgabe.de.

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.