Capriccio is the final opera by German composer Richard Strauss, subtitled "A Conversation Piece for Music". The opera received its premiere performance at the Nationaltheater München on October 28, 1942. Clemens Krauss and Strauss himself wrote the German libretto. However, the genesis of the libretto came from Stefan Zweig in the 1930's, and Joseph Gregor further developed the idea several years later. Strauss then took on the libretto, but finally recruited Krauss as his collaborator on the opera. Most of the final libretto is by Krauss. (What Wikipedia--from which this excerpt is drawn--fails to state is that Stefan Zweig was a Jew. Strauss's collaboration with a Jewish writer was problematic, to say the least, in the Germany of that period. Am I allowed to point out an omission in a Wikipedia article--or will that get me into hot water with the authorities?)
The theme of the opera can be summarized as "Which is more important: words or music?" This question is dramatized in the story of a Countess torn between two suitors: Olivier, a poet, and Flamand, a composer.
At the château of the Countess Madeleine, a rehearsal of Flamand's newly composed sextet is in progress. Olivier and Flamand debate the relative merits of music and words. You get the point, I'm sure.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
The singer is Kiri Te Kanawa. I saw her sing in Strauss's opera Der Rosenkavalier at the Metropolitan Opera in the spring of 1983 under the conductor James Levine, who is also the Met's Musical Director.
Kiri Te Kanawa sang at the wedding of Lady Diana and Prince Charles in July 1981. I wonder if Malcolm was invited?
Levine conducted the centennary performance of Wagner's opera Parsifal at Bayreuth in 1982.
Post a Comment