Der Rosenkavalier (The Cavalier of the Rose) is a comic opera in three acts by Richard Strauss to an original German libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. It is loosely adapted from the novel Les amours du chevalier de Faublas by Louvet de Couvrai and Molière’s comedy Monsieur de Pourceaugnac. It was first performed at the Königliches Opernhaus in Dresden on 26 January 1911 under the direction of Max Reinhardt. Sydney Opera House: one of the worlds most recognizable opera houses and landmarks Opera refers to a dramatic art form, originating in Europe, in which the emotional content or primary entertainment is conveyed to the audience as much through music, both vocal and instrumental, as it is through the... Richard Strauss (June 11, 1864 – September 8, 1949) was a German composer of the late Romantic era, particularly noted for his tone poems and operas. ... A libretto is the complete body of words used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, sacred or secular oratorio and cantata, musical, and ballet. ... Hugo von Hofmannsthal (February 1, 1874 - July 15, 1929), was an Austrian novelist, librettist, poet, dramatist, narrator, and essayist. ... Jean-Baptiste Louvet de Couvrai (June 12, 1760 - August 25, 1797), was a French writer and politician. ... Molière, engraved frontispiece to his Works. ... Semper Oper in Dresden The Semper Oper (German: Semperoper) or Saxon State Opera Dresden (Sächsische Staatsoper Dresden) is an opera house in Dresden, Germany, and is one of the most famous in the world. ... From left to right: Brühls Terrace; the Hofkirche and the castle; the Semper Opera House. ... January 26 is the 26th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1911 (MCMXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar). ... There are two Max Reinhardts: Max Reinhardt (theatre director) Max Reinhardt (publisher) This is a disambiguation page: a list of articles associated with the same title. ...

Der Rosenkavalier is part of the standard operatic repertoire. There are several recordings of it, and it is regularly performed. This page lists famous operas arranged by composer. ...

Characters

• Principal roles
  • The Marschallin, Marie Thérèse, Princess Werdenberg (soprano)
  • Oktavian, Count Rofrano, her young lover (mezzo-soprano or soprano)
  • Baron Ochs of Lerchenau, her cousin (bass)
  • Sophie von Faninal (soprano)
• Supporting Roles
  • Herr von Faninal, a rich merchant, Sophie's father (baritone)
  • An Italian singer (tenor)
  • Valzacchi, a spy (tenor)
  • Annina, his niece and accomplice (contralto)
  • Marianne Leitmetzerin, Sophie's duenna (soprano)
  • Faninal's Major Domo (tenor)
  • An inn-keeper (tenor)
  • A Police Commissioner (bass)
  • The Marschallin's Major Domo (tenor)
  • The Marschallin's Notary (bass)
• Other
  • Four footmen to the Marschallin (2 tenors, 2 basses)
  • The Marschallin's Major Domo (tenor)
  • Three noble orphans (soprano, mezzo-soprano, contralto)
  • A milliner (soprano)
  • An animal vendor (tenor)
  • Mohammed, the Marschallin's black page (mute)
  • A scholar, a flautist, two hairdressers, a noble widow (mute)
  • Four waiters (1 tenor, 3 basses)
  • Servants, guests, hired deceivers, children, constables, musicians (chorus)

Look up Soprano in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A mezzo-soprano (meaning medium soprano in Italian) is a female singer with a range usually extending from the A below middle C to the F an eleventh above middle C. Mezzo-sopranos generally have a darker (or lower) vocal tone than sopranos, and their vocal range is between that... Look up Soprano in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A basso (or bass) is a male singer who sings in the lowest vocal range of the human voice. ... In music, a baritone (from Greek βαρυτονος deeply, heavily sounding) is a male voice of intermediate pitch, between bass and tenor. ... In music, a tenor is a male singer with a high voice (although not as high as the modern countertenor). ... In music, a tenor is a male singer with a high voice (although not as high as the modern countertenor). ... In music, an alto is a singer with a vocal range somewhere between a tenor and a soprano. ...

Plot

Time: 1740s, in the first years of the reign of Empress Maria Thérèse.

Place: Vienna.

Maria Theresa, Holy Roman Empress, Queen of Hungary and Bohemia, Archduchess of Austria Maria Theresa (Vienna, May 13, 1717 – November 29, 1780 in Vienna) was the first and only female head of the Habsburg dynasty. ... Vienna (German: Wien ; Bosnian, Croatian, and Serbian: Beč, Czech: Vídeň, Hungarian: Bécs, Romanian: Viena, Romani: Bech or Vidnya, Russian: Вена, Slovak: Viedeň, Slovenian: Dunaj) is the capital of Austria, and also one of the nine States of Austria. ...

Act I

In her bedchamber, Princess Marie Theres von Wenderburg (or the Marschallin) and her much younger lover Count Oktavian Rolfrano, exchange vows of love. To avoid scandal, he hides when a small black boy, Mohammed, brings the Marschallian's breakfast, and then again when loud voices are heard in the antechamber. He returns disguised as a chambermaid. The Marschallin's country cousin Baron Ochs has unexpectedly arrived to discuss his engagement to Sophie, the daughter of a wealthy merchant. After boorishly describing his personal pastime of chasing skirts, and demonstrating on Oktavian, he asks the Marschallian which cavalier should he select to deliver the traditional silver engagement rose to Sophie. She recommends Oktavian, and when Ochs sees the young count's picture, he notices the similarities in the count's Face to "Mariandel's" and assumes that she is Oktavian's bastard sister. The coarse Ochs propositions "the chambermaid", and Oktavian plays the county maid in response and leaves the first chance he gets.

The room then fills with supplicants to the Princess. An Italian Tenor serenades the Marschallian, Ochs works out the marriage contract with the Marschallin's notary and two Italian spies, Valzacchi and Annina, try to sell the Princess the lastest scandal sheets. Interrupting the tenor's song rudely, Ochs tells the lawyer to demand a dowry from Sophia's family, and leaves, but not before picking up the two Italians. Amist all the activity, the Marschallin remarks to her hairdresser: "My dear Hyppolete, today you have made me look like an old woman."

When all have left, the Marschallin, reminded by the predicament of Och's young bride of her own early marriage, sadly ponders her fleeting youth and the fickleness of Men. By the time Oktavian returns (in men's clothes), she has realized that one day he will leave her. She tells him so, and despite his fervent vows of love, she knows they will not last. He is stunned by her mood change and abruptly leaves. She suddenly realizes that she has forgotten to kiss him goodbye, and sends some footmen after him. But it is too late, and he is gone. The Marschallin summons her page to deliver the silver rose to Oktavian. After Mohammed departs, Marie Therese stares pensively into her hand mirror as the curtain fails.

Act II

In his ornate foyer, Herr von Faninal and Sophie await the arrival of the Rosenkavalier (Knight of the Rose), Oktavian. As per tradition, Fannal departs before the Knight appears. Sophie frets over her approaching marriage with a man she has never met as her duenna, Marianne, reports on the approach of Oktavian. Oktavian arrives with great pomp, dressed all in silver. He presents the silver rose to Sophie in an elaborate ceremony. Immedietly, the two young people connect and they sing a beautiful duet. Sophie and Oktavian begin to fall in love during a chaperoned conversation when Ochs enters with Sophie's Father. The country nobleman speaks familiarly with Oktavian (even though they've never met), examines Sophie like chattel and behaves generally like a cad. He exits to discuss money with her father. As Ochs's servants start to chase the maids, sending the household into an uproar. Sophie starts to weep, and Oktavian promises to help her and he embraces her, but they are discovered by Ochs's spies, who send for him. Ochs is only amused, considering the much-younger Oktavian no threat, but Oktavian's temper is raised enough to challange the bull-headed Baron to a duel. The Baron receives a slight wound in the arm in the fracas and cries bloody murder. As a doctor is sent for, Sophie tells her father she never will marry the baron, but her father insists she will and threatens to send her to a convent. Oktavian is thrown out, and Sophie is sent to her room. As Ochs is left alone on the divan with his wounded arm in a sling, he begins to raise his spirits with a glass of port. Annina enters with a letter for Ochs from "Mariandel" (Oktavian) asking to meet him for a tete-a-tete. The now recovered and drunk Ochs, in anticipation of his eminent tryst, dances around the stage to one of the opera's many waltzes. He makes one mistake: He forgets to tip Annina.

Act III

In a private room in an inn, Valzacchi and Annina have swiched alliances, and are helping Oktavian prepare a trap for the Baron. Ochs and "Mariandel" arrive for a private dinner. Ochs tries to seduce the seemingly willing chambermaid, though he is disturbed by her resemblance to Oktavian. The guilt-ridden baron catches glimpses of the heads of Oktavian's conspirators as they pop out of secret doors. A woman (Annina in disguise) rushes in claiming that Ochs is her husband and the father of her children, all of whoam rush in crying "Papa! Papa!" As the confusion grows, Ochs calls for the Police. Secret passages are sometimes concealed using large items of furniture, such as this reconstruction of the bookcase that covered the entrance to Anne Franks secret room. ...

The police arrive, and to avoid a scandal, Ochs claims the "Mariandel" is his fiancée Sophie. Oktavian lets the Police Commissioner in on the trick, and the Officer plays along. Furious for being enmeshed in the scandal, Faninal arrives and sends for Sophie to clear his and his daughter's name. Sophie arrives and asks the baron to leave her alone. Just as Ochs is compleatly befuddeled and embarresed, The Marschallin enters. The Princess sends the Police and all the others away, and orders the baron to leave gracefully, to retain some of his dignity. So, Ochs hightails it, escaping the various bill collectors. The Marschallin, Sophie and Oktavian are left alone.

The Marschallin recognizes that the day she so feared has come, and, as Oktavian hesitates between the two women, withdraws elegently to the next room to attend to Fanninal. As soon as she is gone, Sophie and Oktavian run to each others arms. Fanninal and the Marschallian return to find the lovers locked in embrace. After a few bittersweet glanches to her lost lover, the Princess departs with Fanninal. Sophie and Oktavian follow after another brief but estatic love duet, and the opera ends with the Marschallian's little black page, Mohammed, running in to retrive Sophie's handkerchief, which she has dropped, and racing out again after the departing nobility.

Noted arias

• "Die Zeit" (Marschallin)
• "Di rigori armato il seno" (Italian singer)