Composer

:

Richard Strauss

Genre

:

Orchestral

Style

:

Suite

Compose Date

:

1945

Average_duration

:

22:22

Der Rosenkavalier, AV 145 is an opera composed by Richard Strauss. It was first premiered on January 26, 1911, at the Königliches Opernhaus in Dresden, Germany. The libretto was written by Hugo von Hofmannsthal, and the opera is considered one of the greatest works of the 20th century. The opera is divided into three acts and has a total of 15 scenes. The first act takes place in the bedroom of the Marschallin, a noblewoman who is having an affair with a young man named Octavian. The second act takes place in the home of the wealthy merchant Faninal, where Octavian is presented as the Rosenkavalier, or the Knight of the Rose, to Sophie, Faninal's daughter. The third act takes place in a tavern, where Octavian and Sophie's love affair is discovered by the Marschallin. The music of Der Rosenkavalier is characterized by its lush orchestration and use of leitmotifs. The opera features a large orchestra, including a number of unusual instruments such as the heckelphone and the basset horn. The vocal writing is also notable for its use of extended vocal techniques, such as sprechgesang, or spoken singing. The opera's premiere was a great success, and it quickly became one of the most popular operas of the 20th century. It has been performed countless times around the world and has been recorded by many of the world's leading opera companies. Der Rosenkavalier is considered a masterpiece of the operatic repertoire and a testament to the genius of Richard Strauss.

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