Strauss composed his Horn Concerto in 1882, closely preceded by the Violin Concerto that same year, he was 19. It has remained a favourite in the repertoire ever since. The music, especially in the first movement, is reminiscent of Beethoven and Schumann, with a touch of the late Romantic style.
Strauss was 19 when he composed the Horn Concerto; surely it was this astonishing maturity which moved Hans von Bülow (who conducted the premiere performance in 1885) to call him a stripling born old.
