Strauss: Capriccio - Semperoper Dresden (2021) [Blu-ray]

Subtitled »A Conversation Piece with Music«, Richard Strauss’s »Capriccio«, which premiered in Munich in 1942, was the climax of the composer’s stage work, a farewell to opera and a confi rmation of his (ambivalent) insistence on the autonomy of art at a time of total war. In a rococo chateau near Paris, the poet Olivier, the composer Flamand and the Countess Madeleine not only negotiate their erotic relationship to one another, but also the question – basic to opera history – of what is more important: the music or the words? Prima la musica, poi le parole? Richard Strauss’s response is to weave a fine musical tapestry, from the wonderful string sextet at the beginning of the opera, through the sparkling parlando, the seemingly weightless conversational tone, fugue, sonnet and octet, to the poetic moonlight piece and the sentimentalironic finale. At the work’s conclusion, the undecided Countess interrogates her reflection in the mirror: »Can you help me fi nd an ending to their opera? Is there one that isn’t trivial?«

“The Sächsische Staatskapelle, with its Strauss experience, prepares the sound for this new production under its chief conductor Christian Thielemann. There is a rich sound with power and sophistication and plenty of soloistic subtleties and brightening arcs are to be discovered in this music by the old master.” (Neue Musikzeitung)