A Joy to Hear

Richard Strauss' 'Der Rosenkavalier',
the last of this season's Live in HD
broadcasts from New York Metropolitan Opera,
impresses MARIA NOCKIN

On 13 May 2017, the Metropolitan Opera transmitted Richard Strauss' 1911 opera in a Robert Carsen production that updated the work to the time of its premiere. At the end of this season, both Renée Fleming and Elīna Garanča are saying goodbye to their thoroughly memorable characters, so this live in HD showing was the last chance for the world-wide audience to sample their interpretations.

Strauss loved the sound of women's voices and in this opera he wrote duets and trios that demand distinctive female voices that can be followed as they weave their way through his ensembles. Fleming, who has both soaring high tones and a notable chest register, Garanča, whose caramel espresso sound layed in the dark ground and Erin Morley, whose bright voice has focus and a sweet lyricism, filled the bill perfectly...