One of the composer's most highly regarded operas, with a libretto by Hugo von Hoffmansthal that artfully intermingles backstage comedy, the lofty emotions of Greek mythology and the merry pranks of a troupe of commedia dell'arte players. Strauss' score echoes the theatrics with music of great wit and breathtaking flights of lyricism. Reprinted from the 1916 Adolph Furstner edition.