Death and Transfiguration, Op. 24 (Tod und Verklarung) Cover Image

Death and Transfiguration, Op. 24 (Tod und Verklarung): Full Orchestra, Conductor Score & Parts

$150.00 USD
$150.00 USD
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Death and Transfiguration, Op. 24 (Tod und Verklarung) Cover Image
Death and Transfiguration, Op. 24 (Tod und Verklarung): Full Orchestra, Conductor Score & Parts

Death and Transfiguration, Op. 24 (Tod und Verklarung): Full Orchestra, Conductor Score & Parts

By Richard Strauss, ed./arr. by Stuart S. Serio/ Clinton F. Nieweg

Item: 36-A211702
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Description
The fourth in a set of tone poems that Richard Strauss (1864-1949) wrote before his career as an opera composer, DEATH AND TRANSFIGURATION (TOD UND VERKLÄRUNG) portrays the death of an artist and the struggle and flight of the soul as it achieves its final resting place. Under the spell of Wagner, Strauss had originally titled it LIEBESTOD UND VERKLÄRUNG after the final scene in TRISTAN UND ISOLDE. Completing the work in 1889, the composer conducted its premiere at the Eisenach Festival on June 21, 1890. He observed that "dying is just the way I composed it", reflecting on the work at the end of his life. Instrumentation: 3.2+EH.2+BCl.2+CBsn: 4.3.3.1: Timp. Perc(1): 2Hp: Str (9.8.7.6.5 in set).

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Additional Details
Series: Nieweg Performance Editions - Kalmus
Publisher: Keiser Productions, Inc.
UPC: 659859363769
SKU: 36-A211702
Instrumentation: 3.2+EH.2+BCl.2+CBsn: 4.3.3.1: Timp. Perc(1): 2Hp: Str (9.8.7.6.5 in set)

More about this title

About the Composer: Richard Strauss

Richard Strauss (1864-1949) emerged as one of the late 19th century's most significant orchestral innovators, expanding the technical and expressive possibilities of the symphony and tone poem. Before turning to opera with Salome and Der Rosenkavalier, he established himself as a master of large-scale instrumental forms, creating works that pushed both compositional technique and orchestral resources to their limits.

Why we love this

Strauss creates a visceral dramatic arc without narrative text, forcing the orchestra itself to carry the weight of transformation from struggle to transcendence. Programming this gives your ensemble a chance to work with genuinely virtuosic orchestration where every section has moments to shine, and the emotional journey feels earned rather than imposed.

What to expect

The piece opens in spiritual turmoil, with fractured rhythms and clashing harmonies suggesting a soul in conflict. Over its course, the music gradually quiets and clarifies, moving from struggle toward light, culminating in a serene brass chorale that feels like hard-won peace rather than easy comfort.

Who it's for

Orchestras with mature technical resources and the stamina for a substantial single-movement work demanding secure intonation and ensemble precision across all sections. This is repertoire for conductors ready to explore post-Romantic orchestration at a level that challenges even experienced musicians.

How to get the most out of it

  • Balance the opening agitation between restless string figures and brooding woodwind solos; the tension comes from this textural layering, not volume alone.
  • Draw the players' attention to the harmonic shifts that signal the soul's ascent in the final section. These often happen in single instrumental lines before the full orchestra embraces them.
  • Work the harp parts as essential to the transfiguration moment; they anchor the harmonic foundation and need clarity to land the shift in character.
  • Give special rehearsal time to the brass chorale that crowns the work. It demands warmth and stability, not boldness, to feel like genuine resolution.

How to use it

Pair this as the centerpiece of a concert exploring Strauss's tone poems, or stand it alone as a substantial work that demonstrates orchestral depth to audiences unfamiliar with non-operatic Strauss. Its emotional arc also works powerfully on a program exploring themes of mortality and transcendence alongside other art forms.

Skills your students will build

  • Navigating complex harmonic language and unresolved chord progressions
  • Balancing rapid metric shifts and syncopated figures without losing ensemble cohesion
  • Reading exposed solo passages across all instrument families
  • Responding to sustained dynamic curves and gradual textural transitions over long phrases
  • Tuning and blending in dense, chromatic chord structures

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