Athenaeum Theatre
August 9, 2018

Perhaps more than ever before, Melbourne Opera ticks a lot of boxes with this new production of Richard Strauss’ bedroom farce about love, mistaken identity and the genuine melancholy of youth’s inevitable passing. The most satisfying aspects of this Der Rosenkavalier are the splendid principals, clever direction, and sets and costumes that are often a joy to behold. Not every box was ticked on opening night, but the company’s growing confidence and maturity was apparent in the production’s delicate balance of the sublime and the ridiculous.

Lee Abrahmsen and Daniel Sumegi. All photos © Robin Halls

Der Rosenkavalier, which premiered in Dresden in 1911, begins with an assignation between the Marschallin and her young lover, Octavian. They are interrupted by the unexpected arrival of Baron Ochs, who seeks her advice about who should carry the traditional engagement gift, a silver rose, to his fiancée, Sophie. The Marschallin suggests Octavian, who has disguised himself as a maid, ‘Mariandel’, and becomes the object of Och’s lecherous attentions. Octavian and Sophie fall in love, and she refuses to marry her betrothed when she finally meets the vulgar Ochs. Octavian tricks him by arranging...