Biography
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Born
2 July 1877
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Born In
Calw, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
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Died
9 August 1962 (aged 85)
Hermann Karl Hesse (2 July 1877 – 9 August 1962) was a German-born Swiss poet, novelist, and painter. His best-known works include Demian, Steppenwolf, Siddhartha, and The Glass Bead Game, each of which explores an individual's search for authenticity, self-knowledge and spirituality. In 1946, he received the Nobel Prize in Literature.
"Four Last Songs":
Towards the end of his life, German composer Richard Strauss (1864–1949) set three of Hesse's poems to music in his song cycle "Four Last Songs for soprano and orchestra": "Frühling" ("Spring"), "September", and "Beim Schlafengehen" ("On Going to Sleep") while "Im Abendrot" ("At Sunset") is by Joseph von Eichendorff.
The song cycle was first performed posthumously at the Royal Albert Hall in London on 22 May 1950 by soprano Kirsten Flagstad and the Philharmonia Orchestra, conducted by Wilhelm Furtwängler.
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