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Classical from the Beethovenfest - Strauss: "Der Rosenkavalier"

Marita Berg / gswOctober 4, 2012

Opera lovers have long cherished "Der Rosenkavalier" with its nostalgic waltz-like rhythms. Conductor Cem Mansur calls the waltz sequences "the most wonderful orchestral dances" he knows.

https://p.dw.com/p/16JjG
Turkish National Youth Philharmonic Orchestra Copyright: DW/B. Özay
Image: DW/B. Özay

Beethoven ile Bulusma 2

Richard Strauss:
Waltz Sequence No. 1 from "Der Rosenkavalier"
Turkish National Youth Philharmonic Orchestra
Conductor: Cem Mansur

MP3 recorded by Deutsche Welle (DW) in the Beethoven Hall on September 19, 2012

After Richard Strauss' "Der Rosenkavalier" premiered in Dresden's Semperoper on January 26, 1911, Europe fell into a veritable "Rosenkavalier" fever. National train service to Dresden was increased, a "Rosenkavalier" post office was established in the opera house, and the tobacco industry even put out a "Rosenkavalier" brand.

The highlights of the comedy, especially its waltzes, were soon all the rage. In a later orchestral suite, Strauss went on to conquer concert halls with the bright moods and colors of the "Rosenkavalier" waltz sequences.

"Richard Strauss waltzes are no Johann Strauss waltzes; they're more stylized," Cem Mansur told DW. "'Der Rosenkavalier' was written at the beginning of the 20th century, but the story plays out in the Vienna of the 18th century. Strauss used waltzes as a medium to evoke the atmosphere of Old Vienna - but of course he viewed them with the eyes of a 20th century composer."