der Rosenkavalier-Standing Room

The only thing I knew about der Rosenkavalier by Richard Strauss was that it is a perenially popular opera. But I thought of Strauss as the composer of Electra and Salome and thought it would be too "modern" for me. Yet the combination of my favorite soprano, Renee Fleming, and Susan Graham in this production was appealing to me.

Then last weekend I listened to it on the Saturday broadcast and loved the music so I tried to get tickets. The music was very lush and romantic. "Perenially popular" meant that the last remaining performance on Friday was sold out. So I ventured into the world of standing room.

What a wonderful discovery. I paid $30 for a ticket ($10 of which was a fee) and had a very satisfying view and the accoustics were fine for me. Standing was a bit tiring, but then I thought about the cashiers at grocery stores who are on their feet 8 hours a day.

The story is a comedy, modeled on the Mozart bedroom farces and set in Vienna in the 18th century during the beautiful era of the Empress Maria Theresa. Yet the enduring scenes are the bittersweet revelations on aging and the inconstancies of young love. Time passes "Die Zeit, die ist ein sonderbar Ding" The "aging" Marschallin (she is supposed to be in her 30s-he is 17)admits to getting up at night to stop the clocks in a desperate attempt to stop time. This is definitely an opera for a 60 year old. There were several other lines that really moved me, such as the Marschallin's observation that she looks old, yet still feels that she is the same girl.

The youthful lover, Octavian, is played by a mezzo-soprano. In this case it was Susan Graham and from my standing room location she looked exactly like a 17 year old boy and was very believable in the role. Of course, the highlight of the opera is in the final act when the Marchallin, Octavio and Sophie combine their voices in the famous trio which (as I learned later) is written "in the ultimate Romantic key of Dflat" and the Marchallin says "I vowed to love even his love for another" We old ladies are so wise and self-sacrificing.

Enough of the opera lesson. What I am learning (as I age) is that one should always take advantage of any opportunity to learn about a new opera, even if I have to stand.