German composer and conductor. He followed the German Romantic tradition but had a strongly personal style, characterized by his bold, colourful orchestration. He first wrote tone poems such as
Don Juan (1889),
Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks (1895), and
Also sprach Zarathustra/Thus Spake Zarathustra (1896). He then moved on to opera with
Salome (1905) and
Elektra (1909), both of which have elements of polytonality. He reverted to a more traditional style with
Der Rosenkavalier/The Knight of the Rose (190910).
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