Opera

Capriccio

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 confirmation 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 sentimental-ironic finale. At the work’s conclusion, the undecided Countess interrogates her reflection in the mirror: »Can you help me find an ending to their opera? Is there one that isn’t trivial?«

Conversation Piece with Music in one act
Libretto by Clemens Krauss and Richard Strauss

Performed in German with German and English supertitles

Premiere
8. May 2021,

No further performances in the current season.

Premiere cast

Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden

Mit freundlicher Unterstützung der Stiftung Semperoper – Förderstiftung

Media partner: ARTE (as part of the »ARTE Opera Season«)

Explore

Making-of

Capriccio – Making-of (4)

Christian Thielemann, Principal Conductor of the Staatskapelle Dresden, is a Strauss expert and conductor of the new production of Capriccio. In our latest Making-of trailer he talks about his approach to Richard Strauss’ last opera in which orchestra and voices are partners on a high level.
Making-of

Capriccio – Making-of (3)

Christa Mayer makes her role debut as Schauspielerin Clairon in Jens-Daniel Herzog's new production of Capriccio at the Semperoper. In her role sehe stands between two men: Poet Olivier and the Graf (Count), whose role is played by Christoph Pohl. In our third making-of trailer, the two singers talk about their roles and their fascination for this opera.
Making-of

Capriccio – Making-of (2)

In the second making-of trailer for our new production of Capriccio, director Jens-Daniel Herzog describes his thoughts on the last opera by Richard Strauss: written in the middle of the Second World War, the opera negotiates a dispute among theatre people. Did he want to escape from reality? Is escaping from the world sometimes necessary? And what does that mean for us today?
Making-of

Capriccio – Making-of (1)

We are looking ahead and have been rehearsing for a fully staged version of Capriccio for weeks now. The form in which the premiere will take place in May is still open at the moment; various options are being examined constantly. In any case, our first making-of trailer gives you the usual insight into the rehearsal phase: in part 1 we meet set designer Mathis Neidhardt in the decoration workshops.
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