Der Rosenkavalier
Strauss's bittersweet opera about young love, the passage of time and social jostling in 18th-century Vienna. Young Sophie von Faninal is to marry Ochs, a lecherous and middle-aged baron, but falls for Octavian, Ochs's 17-year-old representative in the traditional ceremony of the Presentation of the Rose. The affair ruins both the baron's marriage plans and Octavian's relationship with the Feldmarschallin. This performance was given last year at the Paris Opera Bastille. Sung in German.
Paris National Opera Chorus,
Orchestra and Children's Chorus , conductor Edo de Waart
* See Music: page 36