Der Rosenkavalier. 100 Years of Film Music

Der Rosenkavalier. 100 Years of Film Music invites you into a luminous world of silent cinema and timeless Wagnerian romance. The 1926 film, directed by the pioneering “Caligari” filmmaker Robert Wiene, first graced the halls of the Semperoper Dresden on January 10, 1926, and was brought to life by a screenplay written jointly by Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Louis Nerz, and Wiene himself. Costume and stage design, crafted by Alfred Roller, Stefan Wessely, and Hans Rouc, combine to create a visual tapestry that both honors the opulent setting of Strauss’s opera and expands it with fresh scenes and characters that the stage version only hints at. In this cinematic reinterpretation, the Marschallin’s longing for her youthful days and her secret midnight encounters with the Field Marshal are rendered with a haunting beauty, while the towering figure of the ox, rising from his castle, serves as a surreal counterpoint to the love story’s melodrama. The film’s silent nature amplifies the emotive power of Richard Strauss’s score, now presented in a tailor‑made salon orchestra arrangement that John Langley and Thomas Kemp re‑edited for modern audiences. The music sways between moments of transparency, veiled subtleties, and unapologetically open grandeur—exactly matching the film’s exploration of time, youth, and aging. Step back into the courtly ambience of early cinema, where every frame is a jewel and each note of Strauss rings with enduring grace. Discover more and secure your tickets to experience this unique, historic treasure.