Remembered as much for his tone poems ("Thus Spake Zarathustra" and "Don Quixote") as for his operas ("Salome" and "Elektra"), Richard Strauss rose to fame in part because his wife -- soprano Pauline de Ahna -- encouraged him to write music. This educational program, part of a comprehensive series of films celebrating the most influential European composers on record, chronicles the progression of Strauss's fascinating career.