ABSTRACT
For Joseph Kerman, Richard Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier consists of "four finicky hours of leitmotives, modulations, and program-musical wit." He writes that "the opening tableau is already so enervated in sentiment that the relationship between Octavian and the Marschallin seems as unappetizing as their affectionate nicknames" and that "the scene of the presentation of the rose has all the solidity of a fifty-cent valentine." The Met's six performances of an apparently uncut Der Rosenkavalier, with a thankfully unchanging cast and with the added public benefit of a matinee broadcast on Saturday, January 29, gave evidence of scrupulous preparation and sensitive casting. The particular voice timbre preferred by Strauss, both "rich" and "sweet," can be heard, for instance, in the 1933 abridged recording of Der Rosenkavalier, featuring Maria Olczewska as Octavian, Lotte Lehmann as the Marschallin, and the Sophie of Elisabeth Schumann.
