Respighi with Stravinsky, Strauss, and more

Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky was a Russian-born composer and conductor who became a naturalized French and American citizen. Widely considered one of the most influential and revolutionary composers of the 20th century, his career is traditionally divided into three stylistic periods: Russian, Neoclassical, and Serial. He achieved international fame through a series of groundbreaking ballets commissioned by impresario Sergei Diaghilev for the Ballets Russes, most notably The Firebird (1910), Petrushka (1911), and The Rite of Spring (1913), the latter of which caused a famous near-riot at its Paris premiere due to its avant-garde rhythms and dissonant harmonies. He later lived in Switzerland and France before moving to the United States in 1939, where he settled in Los Angeles and eventually New York City.

Richard Strauss, born in Munich, Germany, was a leading late Romantic and early Modern German composer and conductor. Renowned for his tone poems, including *Also sprach Zarathustra*, and operas like *Der Rosenkavalier*, he mastered orchestral and vocal composition. Strauss collaborated notably with librettist Hugo von Hofmannsthal. He was also a successful conductor of orchestras and director of opera houses.

Founded in Indianapolis (1930), Indianapolis Symphony plays classical & pops; 200 concerts/350k yearly; 30+ recordings; RCA/Capitol/Naxos; with Hamelin.

Jun Märkl is a German conductor widely recognized for his refined interpretations of core Germanic repertoire and French Impressionist music. Born in Munich to a musical family, he has held numerous prestigious positions worldwide and serves as the Music Director of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and the National Symphony Orchestra of Taiwan, as well as the Chief Conductor of the Residentie Orchestra of The Hague.