Arabella

A lush, emotionally intricate opera that immerses you in a crumbling society, with gorgeous music and a poignant gender-disguise subplot.

Directed by

Tobias Kratzer

Genres

Music

Starring

Sara Jakubiak, Elena Tsallagova, Albert Pesendorfer

Tagline

Deutsche Oper Berlin

Overview

At first glance, Hofmannsthal's libretto ARABELLA is a comedy of mistaken identity which, had it been composed by Rossini, could have been a snappy buffo opera. But the music of Richard Strauss, who pulls out all the stops of his orchestral art, from the late romantic intoxication to the most modern discord, creates a subtle, colorful panorama of a society in transition, whose late-bourgeois values ​​are crumbling. One's own identity and interpersonal relationships have to be tested from scratch. Central is – even more than the title character, who oscillates between romance and rebellion – Arabella's younger sister Zdenka, who, disguised as a man by her parents for lack of money for girls' clothes befitting their status, has to struggle all the more desperately with her/his role as an outsider.

How it feels

Melancholic, romantic, satirical and warm. Measured and demanding.

About

Identity, family, class, love

Content

Mild violence and sexual content. No gore or swearing.

Note

Written by AI, so it can be wrong. Full breakdown

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