Metamorphosen is a study for 23 solo strings from 1945 by the German composer Richard Strauss (1864 - 1949). It has been widely believed that Strauss wrote the work as a statement of mourning for Germany's destruction during the war, in particular as an elegy for the devastating bombing of Munich, especially places such as the Munich Opera House. Afew days after the completion of Metamorphosen, he wrote in his private diary: "The most terrible period of human history is at an end, the twelve year reign of bestiality, ignorance and anti-culture under the greatest criminals, during which Germany's 2000 years of cultural evolution met its doom." (Wikipedia). In more than way, it is a retrospective, directly citing Beethoven and hinting at Mahler in parts. The average playing time is 27 minutes (AllMusic). My version is by the Vienna Philharmonic under Andre Previn on a Philips CD.
