In 1880, when Hans von Bülow was put in charge of the Meiningen Court Orchestra, exciting things happened. He quickly shaped it into one of Europe's elite ensembles, and invited the big guns of the day, Wagner and Brahms, for collaborations and premieres. Von Bülow also had an eye for emerging talent, and included a Serenade for Winds in E-Flat written by an 18-year-old composer named Richard Strauss in his orchestra’s repertory.

Von Bülow asked Strauss to compose another serenade for winds, and invited the now 21-year old to conduct its premiere performance on today’s date in 1884. That was the good news. The bad news was that just before the premiere of this new Serenade in B-Flat, Bülow’s Orchestra was on tour, so Strauss no rehearsal time. Though he had never picked up a baton in his life, it was too good an opportunity to miss. "I conducted my piece in a state of slight coma,” recalled Strauss. “I can only remember today that I made no blunders."

Von Bülow hadn’t blundered either. His faith in Strauss as a composer AND conductor proved prophetic, and his teaching method—similar to the “throw the kid in the deep end and he’ll learn to swim” method—proved successful. Strauss became both a sought-after composer AND conductor.