Italy trip

At the age of 22, Richard Strauss traveled to Rome and Naples. He subsequently captured his impressions in a composition: "From Italy." He called this work a "symphonic fantasy"—it is no longer a symphony (despite its four movements), but it is not yet a symphonic poem either. The third movement, "On the Beach of Sorrento," unfolds a fascinating, almost impressionistic soundscape, unusual for Strauss. The composer spoke of a "mood picture," an in...