The Met: Live in HD — Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier

Borrowing heavily from the comic works of Moliére, Richard Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier presents an operatic farce set against a backdrop of luxury. At the center is the Marschallin and her much younger lover, Octavian, whom viewers meet in the throes of passion as the opera opens. The couple is interrupted by the Marschallin’s cousin, Ochs, a coarse and vulgar man recently engaged to a young ingénue, Sophie. Determined to prevent the marriage and ruination of an innocent young girl, the Marschallin puts in motion events that might end up ruining her own affair in the process. What follows is a bittersweet comedy complete with trickery, revenge, cross-dressing, and pure infatuation.

This production features Renée Fleming as the Marschallin, Elina Garanca as Octavian, and Günther Groissböck as Baron Ochs. Director Robert Carsen places the action at the end of the Habsburg Empire, underscoring the opera’s subtext of class and conflict against a rich backdrop of gilt and red damask. The sparkling score is conducted by Sebastian Weigle.