The Landestheater Linz is one of the largest cultural institutions in Austria with a history stretching back more than 200 years. More than 800 people from over 40 nations work at the Landestheater Linz in front of and behind the scenes with over 300,000 visitors per season. Under the artistic direction of Intendant Hermann Schneider and the management of Thomas Königstorfer, up to 40 premieres and almost 900 performances are offered to audiences of all ages every year at the various venues.
Already turned towards heaven, as it were, Richard Strauss sets poems by his contemporary Hermann Hesse and the Romantic composer Joseph von Eichendorff to music in a farewell mood shortly before the end of his not only artistically eventful life. Soprano Erica Eloff takes the audience on a journey through Richard Strauss' Four Last Songs, in which her expressive voice brings the tender and profound songs to life.
In their own way, the four of these last orchestral songs by Strauss build a bridge to Mahler's Fourth, which in turn refers to Des Knaben Wunderhorn and thus also to poetry with an almost unlimited half-life. Although the sky is "full of violins" in it, Mahler was not spared a hellish disappointment at the time: the premiere was a flop.
June 26, 2025
