Der Rosenkavalier

On January 10, 1926, fifteen years after the premiere of the opera “Der Rosenkavalier”, a second Rosenkavalier premiere was staged in the Sächsische Staatsoper in Dresden, Germany: this time it was a film, accompanied by Richard Strauss’s opera music – as a newly arranged instrumental version, remarkably well suited to the film screening. Included here was a newly composed march as well as a few older pieces by the maestro. Richard Strauss himself conducted the premiere of the film, which closely followed the opera’s story-line for the most part. The film was directed by Robert Wiene. Its staging was designed by Alfred Rolle, responsible for the staging of the opera’s first performance. The cast of the Rosenkavalier film featured many prominent actors, including Michael Bohnen, long considered the incarnation of Ochs von Lerchenau. The Rosenkavalier’s film music is regarded as one of the most beautiful scores of the silent film era.