Tim Mahon wrote:

>Then listen to the second horn concerto, the four last songs, Tod und
>Verklarung or the central section of Eine Alpensinfonie.  If these don't
>change your mind, nothing will!  Cheers

I don't think that they would change my mind.  Perhaps some of the harmonic
innovations push the nineteenth century envelope, but the ethos of the
music is firmly romantic.  Strauss' music takes romanticism to its peak.
No, I believe that we do not hear music that could truly be called "modern"
(that is, in the 20th century sense of the word) until the Prelude to the
Afternoon of a Faun comes along.

Kevin Sutton