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Composed between late 1944 and early 1945, amid the end of the war, the Methamorphosen is one of the last Strauss oeuvres. Although much has been speculated about its meaning, it’s clear that this work is the testament of the horror, incredulity and grief with which Strauss saw Germany’s devastation. One event that shocked him profoundly was the destruction of the Münchner Opernhaus, the Munich Opera House, where he had developed great part of his career. “The world most holy shrine destroyed!” he stated. The title of the work allude to a transformation process, not one determined by the achievement of progress and triumph, but one that leads to darkness and desolation; one that Germany and its cultural history went down to throughout the war.