He followed the German Romantic tradition but had a strongly personal style, characterized by his bold, colourful orchestration. He first wrote tone poems such as Don Juan 1889, Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks 1895, and Also sprach Zarathustra/Thus Spake Zarathustra 1896. He then moved on to opera with Salome 1905 and Elektra 1909, both of which have elements of polytonality. He reverted to a more traditional style with Der Rosenkavalier/The Knight of the Rose 1909-10.
