{"id":107778,"date":"2024-08-05T11:36:23","date_gmt":"2024-08-05T18:36:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forallevents.com\/reviews\/?p=107778"},"modified":"2024-08-07T17:44:42","modified_gmt":"2024-08-08T00:44:42","slug":"der-rosenkavalier-at-santa-fe-opera-festival-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forallevents.com\/reviews\/der-rosenkavalier-at-santa-fe-opera-festival-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cDer Rosenkavalier\u201d at Santa Fe Opera Festival 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cDer Rosenkavalier\u201d at Sante Fe Opera<\/p>\n

Carol Benet<\/p>\n

Richard Strauss\u2019 \u201cDer Rosenkavalier\u201d with the libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal at Sante Fe Opera festival 2024 could not have had a better production.\u00a0 <\/span>The fantastic third act is a deconstruction and amplification to the original.\u00a0 <\/span>The opera is the story of an aging aristocrat, the 32 year old\u00a0 <\/span>Marshallin (Rachel Willis-S\u00f8rensen), who is <\/span>having an affair with a 17 year old Count Octavian (Paula Murrihy) and its aftermath. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Aging and the passing\u00a0 <\/span>of time are the main themes of Strauss\u2019 famous opera of 1911\u00a0 <\/span>The tale is timeless and the portrayal of Viennese society of the time historical.\u00a0 <\/span>The boorish uncle of the Marshallin Baron Ochs (Matthew Rose) pursues women of all levels of society and here he chases the maid Mariandel, non other than Octavian dressed as a woman, and Sophie (Ying Fang), the rich daughter of Herr von Faninal (Zachary Nelson).\u00a0 <\/span>Och\u2019s marriage to Sophie would satisfy both him and Faninal wishing to elevate family\u2019s social standing.\u00a0 <\/span>Baron Ochs, like many nobles, is in need of money.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cDer Rosenkavalier\u201d is a four hour opera with one long intermission needed to change the set for the 3rd act. \u00a0 <\/span>Gary McCann\u2019s set is brilliantly conceived and executed along with his fanciful costumes of traditional aristocracy in wild abandon of party goers. The third act is a dream scene when all the former pregnant victims and the illegitimate\u00a0 <\/span>children of the predatory Ochs come back to haunt him.\u00a0 <\/span>It is in a claustrophobic room set in two psychedelic colored neon-framed boxes.\u00a0 <\/span>Ochs is imprisoned in this a room with all his victims from which he cannot escape. Matthew Rose\u2019s portrayal of Ochs with his excellent bass voice and comic acting \u00a0is one of the highlights of this production.\u00a0 <\/span>He is perfectly played as an overweight, toupee wearing bore whose name Ochs (\u201cox\u201d in German) is appropriate. \u00a0 <\/span>Maybe Strauss is turning in his grave at this re-enactment of Act 3 but the audience loved it.<\/p>\n

The correct coupling takes place at the end when Sophie and Octavian are together yet the Marschshallin blesses them both in this inevitable end of her affair. S\u00f8rensen aria\u2019s and duets with Octavian are wonderful in her strong soprano voice and fine acting.\u00a0 <\/span>Ying Fang\u2019s voice is gorgeous as Sophie and Rose\u2019s acting and singing ability as Ochs enlivens the entire production.<\/p>\n

Conductor Karina Canellakis presented a lively rendition of the music that was fun loving and at time filled with pathos as the Marschallin reflects on her life.\u00a0 <\/span>Bruno Ravella\u2019s direction of this complicated and demanding opera is excellently creative.\u00a0 <\/span>I hope the production moves on to other venues.\u00a0 <\/span>It should.<\/p>\n

\u201cDer Rosenkavalier\u201d\u00a0 <\/span>runs through August 15, 2024 at the Sante Fe Opera. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cDer Rosenkavalier\u201d at Sante Fe Opera Carol Benet Richard Strauss\u2019 \u201cDer Rosenkavalier\u201d with the libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal at Sante Fe Opera festival 2024 could not have had a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":111,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"yasr_overall_rating":0,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[726],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-107778","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-carol-benet"},"yasr_visitor_votes":{"stars_attributes":{"read_only":true,"span_bottom":"