How did Alexander Ritter influence Richard Strauss’s development as a composer?

Alexander Ritter played a pivotal role in shaping Richard Strauss’s development as a composer by encouraging him to embrace the music of Richard Wagner, an interest Strauss had previously kept secret to avoid conflict with his father.1

Meeting at Meiningen, Ritter urged Strauss to move away from traditional classical forms and instead express his musical ideas through the symphonic poem, a medium popularized by Franz Liszt. This guidance was instrumental in Strauss’s transition toward the bold, post-Romantic style that defined his career, beginning with works like Aus Italien and culminating in the success of his tone poems, such as Don Juan.12