Richard Strauss wrote these words in a letter to me in 1944. Their tone indicates his state of mind after Goebbels had declared total war and with a stroke of his pen had brought the artistic life of Germany to a standstill and condemned musicians to war-work.

But worse was to follow. Opera house after opera house fell victim to the intensified bombing raids. A direct hit destroyed the rear portion of the Vienna Staatsoper, right to the floor of the stage, on 12th March 1945. Four further hits completely destroyed the stage and turned the glory of the auditorium into rubble and ashes. Some of the disaster might have been prevented had the firefighting team who were familiar with the building not been called up for warwork and the service not been manned by untrained newcomers. Thus, in a few hours, one of the most famous temples of the arts became a smoking ruin. The final strafing came a few weeks later, with the entry of soviet troops.