Richard Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier

Der Rosenkavalier is Strauss's comedy of manners, inspired by Mozart's Marriage of Figaro. Though it doesn't quite have Mozart's delicacy and depth of human feeling, it still is a masterpiece of grace, humour and tenderness, clothed in music both luscious and exquisite. Marschallin is one of the great female roles in opera, as she surrenders her young toyboy lover to his future wife with dignity and graciousness. It's one of Renee Fleming's signature roles, and her performance here is a tour de force of beautiful singing coupled with sensitivity to the complexity of the character. Christian Thielemann conducts a live performance with real Viennese style, and Gemütlichkeit and the supporting roles are well cast. deccaclassics.com