NEW YORK, Aug. 17, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The
Met's first new production since 1969 of Strauss's rich, romantic
masterpiece stars Renée Fleming in one of her signature
roles as the Marschallin, opposite Elīna Garanča as
Octavian, the impulsive young title character, on Great
Performances at the Met Sunday,
September 3 at 12 p.m. on PBS
(check local listings). In New
York, THIRTEEN will air the opera at 12:30 p.m.
Conducted by Sebastian
Weigle and directed by Robert
Carsen, whose most recent Met production was the hit
2013 staging of Falstaff, the cast also includes Günther
Groissböck as Baron Ochs,
Erin Morley as Sophie,
Markus Brück as Faninal, and Matthew Polenzani as the Italian Singer.
The opera premiered in Dresden,
1911. Set in an idealized Vienna of the past, Strauss's most popular
opera concerns a wise woman of the world who is involved with a
much younger lover but ultimately forced to accept the laws of
time, giving him up to a pretty young heiress. Hofmannsthal's
fascinating libretto deftly combines comedy, dreamy nostalgic
fantasy, genuine human drama, and light but striking touches of
philosophy and social commentary. Strauss's magnificent score,
likewise, works on several levels, combining the refinement of
Mozart with the epic grandeur of Wagner.
Richard Strauss (1864–1949)
composed an impressive body of orchestral works and songs before
devoting the second half of his long and productive career to the
stage. His 1909 opera Elektra marked his first collaboration
with Viennese author and poet Hugo von Hofmannsthal (1874–1929),
who would go on to write five other librettos for Strauss over the
following 20 years, in one of the most remarkable partnerships in
theater
history.
The opera is originally set in Vienna in the 1740s. Genuine historical
references are merged with fictitious inventions (like the "noble
custom" of the presentation of the silver rose to a fiancée, which
never actually existed) and anachronisms (like the Viennese Waltz,
which did not yet exist at that time). It's a mixture that creates
a seductive mythical landscape, a ceremonious and impossibly
beautiful Vienna-that-never-was.
The Met's new production moves the setting to the last years of the
Habsburg
Empire.
Critics raved when the production premiered earlier this year.
The Huffinton Post said this was
"(a) Rosenkavalier not to be missed … Renée Fleming
soars to new heights," while The Washington Post
observed, "Elīna Garanča sang like warm gold as the 17-year-old,
hormonal, lovestruck Octavian … Ardent, coltish, and radiantly
sung."
The New York Times declared,
"Fleming should be proud of the magnificent performance she
gave…The sweet-voice Erin Morley
makes an utterly charming Sophie … Günther Groissböck's muscular
sound and declamatory style are perfect … Sebastian Weigle led a distinguished
performance."
Tenor Matthew Polenzani
hosts the broadcast.
Production: Robert Carsen. Set
Designer: Paul Steinberg. Costume
Designer: Brigitte Reiffenstuel. Lighting Designer: Robert Carsen, Peter Van
Praet. Choreographer: Philippe
Giraudeau.
Der Rosenkavalier was originally seen live
in movie theaters on May 13 as part
of the groundbreaking The Met: Live in HD series, which
transmits live performances to more than 2,000 movie theaters and
performing arts centers in over 70 countries around the world. The
Live in HD series has reached a record-breaking 22 million
viewers since its inception in 2006.
Great Performances at the Met is a
presentation of THIRTEEN Productions LLC for WNET, one of America's
most prolific and respected public media providers.
Corporate support for Great Performances at the
Met is provided by Toll Brothers, America's luxury
home builder®. Major funding for the Met Opera presentation is
provided by the National Endowment for the Arts. This Great
Performances presentation is funded by the Irene Diamond Fund,
the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Arts Fund, The Philip and Janice
Levin Foundation, The Agnes Varis Trust, Ellen and James S. Marcus, and public television
viewers.
For the Met, Gary Halvorson
directs the telecast. David Frost is
Music Producer. Mia Bongiovanni and
Elena Park are Supervising
Producers, and Louisa Briccetti and
Victoria Warivonchik are Producers.
Peter Gelb is Executive
Producer. For Great Performances, Bill O'Donnell is Series Producer; David Horn is Executive Producer.
Visit Great Performances online at www.pbs.org/gperf for
additional information on this and other Great Performances
programs.
About WNET
WNET is America's flagship PBS station and parent company of
THIRTEEN and WLIW21. WNET also operates NJTV, the statewide public
media network in New Jersey.
Through its broadcast channels, three cable services (THIRTEEN
PBSKids, Create and World) and online streaming sites, WNET brings
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About the Met
THE METROPOLITAN
OPERA is America's leading performing arts
organization and a vibrant home for the world's most creative and
talented artists, including singers, conductors, composers,
orchestra musicians, stage directors, designers, visual artists,
choreographers, and dancers. The company presents more than 200
performances each season of a wide variety of operas, ranging from
early masterpieces to contemporary works. In recent years, the Met
has launched many initiatives designed to make opera more
accessible, most prominently the Live in HD series of cinema
transmissions, which dramatically expands the Met audience by
allowing select performances to be seen in more than 2,000 theaters
in more than 70 countries around the world.
Synopsis:
http://www.metopera.org/Discover/Synopses/Der-Rosenkavalier/
Website: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/GreatPerformances
Twitter: @GPerfPBS
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SOURCE WNET