In 1948, an eighty-four year old Richard Strauss said goodbye to music with the composition of Vier letzte Lieder (Four Last Songs), which are considered the last example of post-Romantic musical literature, of which Strauss is the greatest exponent. The composer, through three poems by Hermann Hesse and one by Joseph von Eichendorff, prepares to leave this world with serenity and pays homage to his wife and love of his life, Pauline de Ahna. This is especially evident in the last of the songs, "Im Abendrot (In the approaching)," where everything leads to a serene and beautiful ending, crowned by Strauss's glorious music. The composer would not see the premiere of this cycle, which would take place on May 22, 1950 at the Royal Albert Hall in London with soprano Kirsten Flagstad conducted by Wilhelm Furtwängler. Pauline de Ahna would not see it either, as she would die on May 3 of that year. Louise Alder, who has appeared several times at the Festival, performs this Straussian twilight with Joseph Middleton, artist-in-residence at the 2022 edition of LIFE Victoria Barcelona.