Arabella

A “lyric comedy” is what Richard Strauss and Hugo von Hofmannsthal called their last joint work, written between 1927 and 1929. In this acclaimed performance at the Vienna State Opera, director Sven-Eric Bechtolf shifts the action from 1860, when the work was written, to the 1920s, both eras that witnessed a massive economic crisis. Emily Magee debuted to great acclaim in the title role. Genia Kühmeier as her little sister Zdenka transfigures the role with her lyrically expressive soprano voice. She is ably supported by the splendidly radiant tenor voice of Michael Schade as the young officer Matteo. Conductor Franz Welser-Möst lends the brilliant tone colours of Strauss's music a decidedly Viennese character with the result that the audience enjoys a production that is one of the brightest gems in Strauss's opera oeuvre and an experience perhaps only to be encountered in Vienna.