Arabella

by Richard Strauss
Houston Grand Opera,
Houston Symphony;
Christoph Eschenbach, conductor

Performers listed below.

The history of opera is full of great collaborations between composers and writers. But a few teams stand out above all the rest. The best of them were probably Mozart and Da Ponte (Don Giovanni, The Marriage of Figaro), Verdi and Boito (Otello, Falstaff), and the team that wrote this week’s opera, Arabella -- composer Richard Strauss and librettist Hugo von Hofmannsthal.

Arabella was the last opera Strauss and Hofmannsthal would ever create. Leading up to it, they produced a startling variety of dramas - ranging from the deeply human, romantic comedy of Der Rosenkavalier, to the sometimes mystifying metaphysics of The Woman With No Shadow, and The Egyptian Helen. Der Rosenkavalier was their greatest triumph -- and still is. And that’s been a problem for Arabella, which often has been criticized as an attempt to cash in on that earlier success.

Actually, that’s an easy view to take, as the two operas have many similarities. Both are romances set in historic, waltz-filled Vienna, and both depict poignant characters and relationships, within an outwardly light-weight framework. And they both leave us with pretty much the same message.

Yet to dismiss Arabella as "Rosenkavalier II" which many have been quick to do, is taking the lazy way out. That’s because the message both scores deliver isn’t about waltzes, or Vienna, or even romance. It’s a deep down lesson about basic human nature, and the two operas convey it in markedly different ways. Der Rosenkavalier finds true humanity among wealthy people of noble class, who could easily get through life without it -- buying their way out of any unpleasant consequences. Arabella finds the same elegance, and strength of character, among people of a lower class, who must devote their day-to-day energies to more basic concerns -- like how to make a living. In the end, while using vastly different examples, both operas deliver the same truth: that genuine nobility is rooted in individuals, not in titles, or in bank balances.

But of course, you’ll hear all that for yourself when you tune in for Arabella this week on World of Opera, with host Lisa Simeone. The production is from one of the world’s foremost opera companies, The Houston Grand Opera, featuring a fittingly radiant Renee Fleming in the title role. As always, for more information on the opera, visit NPR’s At The Opera Web site.

Performers:
Renée Fleming, Arabella; Katherine Ciesinski, Adelaide; József Gregor, Count Waldner; Christine Schäfer, Zdenka; Wolfgang Brendel, Mandryka; Raymond Very, Matteo; Chad Shelton, Count Elmer; Jill Grove, Fortune-teller; Eric Edlund, Welko; Daniel Belcher, Count Dominik; Christopher Scott Feigum, Count Lamoral; Nancy Allen Lundy, The Fiakermilli; James Alba, Djura; Peter Webster, Jankel


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