Death and Waltzes is a collection of music for string orchestra by German- American composer Tom Schnauber. It is an extension of the composer’s work with the Russian String Orchestra (formerly the Chamber Orchestra Kremlin) after winning their “International Homage to Mozart” Composition Competition in 2006. The nine works featured were written between 1995 and 2014; some specifically for the R.S.O. all linked by themes suggested in the CD’s title. Some are single-movement “in memoriam”-type pieces in fond and sometimes aching memory of other musicians: the vivacious violinist and conductor Henri Temianka; the gifted and underplayed composer Leroy Southers; and Schnauber’s first musical “hero”, J.S. Bach. Another is in memory of the composer’s father, who died during the making of this CD. Among the other works are two dances; mysterious and off-kilter waltzes, reflections of Schnauber’s Alpine heritage and two left feet. Another two are stories told in music whose narratives involve both dancing and dying. They invoke experiences of the composer’s fictional “alter ego”, eminent musicologist Johannes von Märland.