Strauss's Die Frau ohne Schatten From Covent Garden
Thursday, August 21, 2014
This opera's librettist, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, called it a "magic fairy tale" and the highly symbolic story of Richard Strauss's Die Frau ohne Schatten does inhabit the real world and a realm of pure spirituality. While it has often been overshadowed by the composer's more famous dramas, many Strauss aficionados consider Die Frau ohne Schatten, or The Woman Without a Shadow, to be his finest opera.
On World of Opera, host Lisa Simeone presents The Woman Without a Shadow in a production from London's Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. The top-notch, international cast includes tenor Johan Botha, soprano Emily Magee, baritone Johann Reuter, and soprano Elena Pankratova, in a performance led by conductor Semyon Bychkov.
The Empress: Emily Magee (soprano)
The Emperor: Johan Botha (tenor)
Barak the Dyer: Johan Reuter (bass-baritone)
The Dyer's Wife: Elena Pankratova (soprano)
The Nurse: Michaela Shuster (mezzo-soprano)
Messenger of Keikobad: Ashley Holland (baritone)
The Falcon: Anush Hovahannisyan (soprano)
Guardian of the Threshold: Dusica Bijelic (soprano)
Royal Opera Orchestra and Chorus
Symyon Bychkov, conductor