Schumann wrote the first true cello concerto, though he never heard it performed during his lifetime. Its enduring popularity lies in its emotional depth, as Victor Julien-Laferrière notes: “I hope Schumann’s concerto offers the audience a deeply romantic moment, evoking someone alone with their thoughts, in an intimate dialogue with nature.” Richard Strauss, a master of musical storytelling, was irresistibly drawn to iconic stories featuring strong characters in the lead roles. He was able to give free rein to his imagination with the folk hero Till Eulenspiegel: a sparkling legend about the illustrious deeds of a rogue, troublemaker and misanthrope who couldn’t care less about laws and rules. How different is the atmosphere in his successful opera Der Rosenkavalier, in which tender love, graceful Viennese waltzes and passionate scenes alternate. Balancing between opera and operetta, Strauss composed music that blends humor with a touching life lesson about time and growing older.