STRAUSS, RICHARD - Der Rosenkavalier
In Hugo von Hofmannsthal Richard Strauss believed that he had found his ideal librettist. Their first venture together was Elektra, a gruesome tale of murder in ancient Mycenae which provoked a considerable reaction at its premiere in 1909 and confirmed Strauss as the leading young opera composer of his time. Strauss was keen to follow it up with a comedy, and in January 1911 he and Hofmannsthal produced Der Rosenkavalier. It soon took its place among the greatest of operas. The opulence of 18th-century Vienna chimed with an audience oblivious of the impending doom of the First World War. And Strauss, who was married to a soprano, had an incredible talent for writing enchantingly for that voice. The duet between Octavian and Sophie in Act 2 and the trio in Act 3 when the Marschallin accepts the fate of losing her lover brilliantly demonstrate that talent. This recording was made in 1990 and features Kiri Te Kanawa, Anne Sophie von Otter, Barbara Hendricks and Kurt Rydl, with Bernard Haitink conducting the orchestra that played at the opera premiere – the Dresden Staatskapelle.

0946 3 58618 2 2 (3CDs)
0946 3 58618 5 3 (Digital Download)