- Richard Strauss' Sonata for Violin and
Piano in E flat major op. 18 is a work
with a Janus face, illustrating the past
and the present and pointing ahead to
the future.
- It mirrors the composer's musical roots,
such as in the second movement which
contains references to Beethoven's
'Pathetique' and Schubert's Der Erlkönig,
whilst the first and final movements
are influenced by Schumann, on the
one hand, and express Strauss' current
enthusiasm for Wagner's Tristan, on
the other.
- By contrast, the hidden allusions to his
own tone poem Don Juan show the way
the composer wanted to go in the near
future.