Soundtracks:
2001: A Space Odyssey
Strawberry Statement
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Also sprach Zarathustra Op. 30
"Also sprach Zarathustra" was written under the influence
of Nietzsche's writings, and especially the poetic-philosophical piece
by this name. It was first performed in Frankfurt, 1896, and conducted
by the composer. This is not a programme work in the characteristic descriptional
style, but rather a piece in the spirit of Nietzsche's and his thought,
therefore named after the origin. The piece includes parts titled the same
as some of Nietzsche's poems (see below for examples). This work, in many
people's opinion, is an expression of Strauss's exhilaration with the intensity
of Nietzsche's ideas, being also a musician, among his other talents.
The plot tells us of Zarathustra, who went to the mountains and meditated
there for ten years. One day, he turned to the rising sun and decided to
go and grant his wisdom to mankind. The piece's somewhat hallucinated movements
do not represent the story, except for the famous first movement, describing
the sunrise. This movement became one of the best-known in the classical
music repertory, especially for the motion picture "2001: A Space
Odyssey", where it was incorporated into the soundtrack.
The work's movements:
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