In this fascinating look at Richard Strauss' Also sprach Zarathustra, Marin Alsop delves into the nuances and history of this work and then conducts the BSO in a riveting performance of the piece. This performance was recorded on January 21, 2012 at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall.Gaining mass popularity after its use in Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 movie, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Strauss’ famous tone poem, Also sprach Zarathustra, has come to be associated with mystery and anticipation. Consisting of one interlinked movement in eight unbroken sections, this composition was inspired by the book Also sprach Zarathustra, which contains a series of 80 discourses on a variety of moral and philosophical topics by German philosopher and poet Friedrich Nietzsche. As Strauss explained, “I meant…to convey in music an idea of the evolution of the human race from its origin, through the various phases of development, religious as well as scientific…The whole symphonic poem is intended as my homage to the genius of Nietzsche." Off The Cuff podcasts are released weekly on Tuesdays. Come back next week for Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 6. These podcasts are recordings of the hugely popular Off The Cuff concert series, created by BSO Music Director Marin Alsop in 2008. They embody Maestra Alsop’s commitment to demystifying classical music and creating access for all audiences. The BSO is proud to share these podcasts for the first time with all of you.Visit BSOmusic.org/OffStage for more great digital content from the BSO.