In 1895, Richard Strauss wrote Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche (‘Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks’) Op. 28, a timelessly popular symphonic poem that is still part of the sophisticated concert repertoire today. The ironic subtitle ‘Composed For Large Orchestra After The Old Roguish Manner - In Rondo Form’, which is puzzling rather than clarifying as to its form, already reveals a new side to the composer which then permeates the music: musical humour. The source material for Till Eulenspiegel...