Strauss's opera «Der Rosenkavalier» returns to Riga after almost a century
The Latvian National Opera and Ballet has premiered a new production of Richard Strauss's opera «Der Rosenkavalier», last staged in the house almost a hundred years ago. Director Viesturs Kairišs, Austrian bass Groisbeck and Czech opera star Pučálková discuss how demanding the work is.
The Latvian National Opera and Ballet in Riga has begun showing «Der Rosenkavalier» (the Rose Cavalier), an opera by the German composer Richard Strauss. The work was last staged in the Latvian opera house almost a hundred years ago, so the new production is a rare chance for audiences to see it on a Latvian stage.
Why the opera is rarely staged
The long gap is explained by the fact that «Der Rosenkavalier» is extremely demanding for any theatre. The score is huge, spread over three acts, and the opera requires a large orchestra and a large cast of soloists. This takes up a great deal of a theatre's resources.
The director's admission
Viesturs Kairišs, who directed the new production, says he likes complex tasks. Even so, at the start of the work he was not sure whether he would manage to deal with this «hard nut».
Soloists on the work
Austrian bass Groisbeck and Czech opera star Pučálková also talk about the opera and the challenges of performing it. The headline of the interview carries the idea that singers count themselves lucky if they manage to sing 99% of the notes, which points to how complex the score is.
The source text gives no exact performance dates, so audiences should check the theatre's own information for the upcoming repertoire.
