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- Richard Strauss' Sonata for Violin andPiano in E flat major op. 18 is a workwith a Janus face, illustrating the pastand the present and pointing ahead tothe future.- It mirrors the composer's musical roots,such as in the second movement whichcontains references to Beethoven's'Pathetique' and Schubert's Der Erlkönig,whilst the first and final movementsare influenced by Schumann, on theone hand, and express Strauss' currententhusiasm for Wagner's Tristan, onthe other.- By contrast, the hidden allusions to hisown tone poem Don Juan show the waythe composer wanted to go in the nearfuture.
