Der Rosenkavalier facts for kids
Der Rosenkavalier (which means The Knight of the Rose) is a funny opera by Richard Strauss. The story and words, called the libretto, were written by Hugo von Hofmannsthal, a German poet.
This opera was first shown in Dresden on January 26, 1911. It was a huge hit right away! It is still one of the most popular operas performed today. It's even the most performed German opera from the 20th century.
The story takes place in Vienna during the mid to late 1700s. This was the time of Empress Maria Theresa. The opera has four main characters:
- The Marschallin, a noble lady.
- Baron Ochs, her rude cousin.
- Sophie von Faninal, a rich young woman who is supposed to marry Baron Ochs.
- Count Octavian Rofrano, a 17-year-old count.
Contents
First Performance of the Opera
Der Rosenkavalier had its very first show on January 26, 1911, in Dresden. Ernst von Schuch was the conductor. He had also led the first performances of other famous Strauss operas.
The main singers were Margarethe Siems as the Marschallin and Minnie Nast as Sophie. Eva von der Osten played Octavian. Octavian is a breeches role, meaning a woman plays a male character.
The opera was a huge success from the start. Tickets sold out quickly, making a lot of money for the opera house. Even though some critics didn't like the old-fashioned waltz music, people loved the opera. Rosenkavalier became Strauss's most popular opera during his lifetime. It is still a favorite in opera houses around the world.
Worldwide Success
Just two months after its first show, Der Rosenkavalier was translated into Italian. It was performed at La Scala in Italy. The conductor was Tullio Serafin.
The opera then came to Austria. The Vienna Court Opera performed it on April 8, 1911. Franz Schalk conducted this show.
The opera quickly became popular in other countries too.
- The United Kingdom premiere was in London on January 29, 1913. Thomas Beecham conducted it.
- The United States premiere happened in New York City on December 9, 1913. This was at the Metropolitan Opera.
Many other theaters in Italy performed the opera in the 1920s. In 1926, a movie of the opera was even made! The opera was first performed in France in 1927.
The Salzburg Festival in Austria first showed Der Rosenkavalier in 1929. Many other famous opera houses and festivals have performed it since then. The first time it was performed on stage in Australia was in 1972. New Zealand saw its first performance in 2002.
Main Characters and Singers
This table shows the main characters in Der Rosenkavalier. It also lists the type of singing voice for each role. The last column shows who sang the role at the very first performance in 1911.
| Role | Voice type | Premiere cast, 26 January 1911 (Conductor: Ernst von Schuch) |
|---|---|---|
| The Marschallin, Princess Marie Thérèse von Werdenberg | soprano | Margarethe Siems |
| Octavian, Count Rofrano, her young lover | mezzo-soprano | Eva von der Osten |
| Baron Ochs auf Lerchenau, the Marschallin's cousin | bass | Karl Perron |
| Sophie von Faninal | soprano | Minnie Nast |
| Herr von Faninal, Sophie's rich father | baritone | Karl Scheidemantel |
| Marianne, Sophie's duenna | soprano | Riza Eibenschütz |
| Valzacchi, an intriguer | tenor | Hans Rüdiger |
| Annina, his niece and partner | contralto | Erna Freund |
| A notary | bass | Ludwig Ermold |
| An Italian singer | tenor | Fritz Soot |
| Three noble orphans | soprano, mezzo- soprano, contralto |
Marie Keldorfer, Gertrude Sachse, Paula Seiring |
| A milliner | soprano | Elisa Stünzner |
| A vendor of pets | tenor | Josef Pauli |
| Faninal's Major-Domo | tenor | Fritz Soot |
| A police inspector | bass | Julius Puttlitz |
| The Marschallin's Major-Domo | tenor | Anton Erl |
| An innkeeper | tenor | Josef Pauli |
| Four lackeys | tenors, basses | Josef Pauli, Wilhelm Quidde, Rudolf Schmalnauer, Robert Büssel |
| Four waiters | tenor, basses | Wilhelm Quidde, Rudolf Schmalnauer, Robert Büssel, Franz Nebuschka |
| Mohammed, the Marschallin's black page | silent | |
| A flautist, a cook, a hairdresser and his assistant, a scholar, a noble widow |
all silent | |
| Servants, hired deceivers, children, constables | ||
Language in the Opera
The way characters speak in Der Rosenkavalier changes depending on who they are. Hugo von Hofmannsthal, who wrote the words, made sure of this.
People from the nobility speak in very fancy and polite language. It often sounds a bit old-fashioned. Good friends sometimes use a more informal "you" (du) when they talk. For example, Octavian and the Marschallin often use du. But sometimes they use the more formal "you" (Sie).
Baron Ochs always tries to sound important. His words show this. When Octavian pretends to be a maid named Mariandel, he speaks in an Austrian dialect. Valzacchi and Annina also speak in a dialect. Their German isn't perfect and sometimes has Italian words mixed in.
Because of these different ways of speaking, it is very hard to sing this opera in any language other than German.
Images for kids
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Richard Strauss in 1910
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Hogarth's The Countess's Morning Levee (around 1744). This painting helped inspire the Marschallin's morning reception scene.
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A 1927 painting of Richard Mayr as Ochs by Anton Faistauer. Mayr sang this role 149 times!
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Delia Reinhardt as Octavian around 1923.
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The Marschallin's farewell in Act 3, from the Salzburg Festival in 2014. From left to right: Mojca Erdmann, Sophie Koch, and Krassimira Stoyanova.
See also
In Spanish: El caballero de la rosa para niños
