Aus Italien, Op. 16 (From Italy) is a tone poem for full orchestra composed by Richard Strauss in 1886. It was inspired by the composer’s visit to Italy (encouraged by Johannes Brahms) in the summer of the same year, where he travelled to Rome, Bologna, Naples, Sorrento, Salerno, and Capri. He began to sketch the work while still on the journey.
The full score of the work, Strauss’s first tone poem, was completed in Munich on September 12, 1886. The work is named by the composer as ‘Symphonic Fantasy’, and is dedicated to his mentor Hans von Bülow.
Orchestra: Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra
Conductor: Zdenek Kosler
Part I: In the Campagna