In 1941 Richard Strauss composed his second horn concerto. Weary from trying to remain in the good favor of the Nazi government, Strauss composed several works late in life that he merely described as “wrist exercises” that were only for the benefit of his estate. The first of these pieces was the Second Horn Concerto. Often labeled as a return to his past, this paper asserts that upon further examination the work is much more advanced than is often labeled.

Richard Strauss has been labeled by music historians as a neo-Romantic, despite much of his work being composed during the twentieth century. This designation has precluded even his more progressive works from further study as modern compositions. However, upon reexamination of several of his works, more specifically the Second Horn Concerto, it is evident that Strauss could be considered as belonging to the canon of modern composers.