“On the threshold of death, a man revisits four women he loved in turn. Three of them each shared a moment of his life, but of the fourth—an enigmatic figure—he retains no precise memory. Yet it is her image that will accompany him.
The texts of the four Lieder are by Hermann Hesse for the first three, and by Josef von Eichendorff for the fourth.
The title of the ballet Serait-ce la mort ? Ist dies etwa der Tod? is taken from the final line of this sung work, which is in fact Richard Strauss’s swan song.”

Maurice Béjart

MUSICAL REFERENCES

Richard Strauss

Album: Richard Strauss: Vier letzte Lieder/Four Last Songs ; Titles: Frühling (Hesse), September (Hesse), Beim Schlafengehen (Hesse), Im Abendrot (Eichendorff) ; Performer: Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra ; Conductor: George Szell