Guntram (1887 - 93), the first of RichardStrauss' fifteen operas, is a three-act work which shows the composer fully under the influence of Wagner's music dramas. Following Wagner's example, Strauss also provided his own text for the work; the libretto, however, is generally regarded as one of the weaker aspects of Guntram. Strauss' experience with this work no doubt contributed to the working relationships he later developed with librettists like Hugo von Hofmannsthal.

The critical reaction to Guntram was disappointing. The public was similarly unenthusiastic, despite the work's affinity with the music of Wagner. Nevertheless, the soaring melodies that are more typical of Strauss' mature works are present in Guntram, and here and there the opera contains some outstanding music. Strauss revised Guntram from 1934 to 1940 for revivals that were staged in 1940 and 1942. For the most part, Strauss cut his youthful work in order to tighten the dramatic flow and to improve the orchestration. A comparison of the two versions aptly demonstrates the kind of self-criticism and the years of experience that Strauss eventually brought to a work he had written decades before.

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