In Richard Strauss’s opera Der Rosenkavalier, comic situations and the lightness of the waltz intertwine with emotional poignancy, allowing the audience to savour an exquisite story of love and the inevitable passage of time, imbued with irony and melancholy.
This is revealed particularly well in the Marschallin’s message to her beloved Octavian: Time is a remarkable thing. First, we are heedless, it is as nothing! Then suddenly we feel nothing else. It is all around us, our souls are filled with it, our faces show it, the mirror shows it - all my veins feel its throbbing and there, between you and me - it flows in silence, trickling like sands in the hourglass.
The opera premiered in Dresden on 26 January 1911. At the Latvian National Opera, Der Rosenkavalier has been performed only once, in 1930, under the musical direction of Georg Lennart Schnéevoigt, with staging by Ludolfs Liberts.
The new 2026 production is being created by director Viesturs Kairišs, set and costume designer Germans Ermičs, lighting designer Alex Brok Light Design and choreographer Elīna Gediņa.
Performance in three acts. Total duration: 4h 35 min
Act I: 1 h 15 min
Intermission: 25 min
Act II: 1 h
Intermission: 40 min
Act III: 1 h 15 min
Performance language: German
Translation in surtitles: Latvian, English
Recommended age: 16+
Act I
The Marschallin, saddened by the inevitable course of ageing, sees her youth in the form of the young Count Octavian Rofrano – her lover – in a dream. Before breakfast is served, they indulge in intimacy in her bedroom. Suddenly, a frightening noise is heard from the antechamber. The Marschallin fears that her husband may have returned. Thankfully, it is only her cousin, Baron Ochs. With no time to escape, Octavian disguises himself by changing into a maid's clothes, pretending to be 'maid Mariandel,' whom the Baron is immediately attracted to.
Ochs has come to discuss his forthcoming marriage to Sophie, the only daughter of the nouveau riche Faninal. He asks the Marschallin to recommend a man who, according to an aristocratic custom, can present a silver rose to the Baron’s bride. Amused by the Baron’s attempts to court the disguised Count Octavian, the Marschallin recommends the young Count for the task. As the Baron is shown Octavian’s portrait on a medallion, he is struck by the resemblance between the Count and the 'maid.'
Their conversation is interrupted by the arrival of a notary, a cook, a milliner, a pair of intriguers, a hairdresser, musicians and others. Three noble orphan girls present their plea; an animal dealer praises his wares; and a tenor demonstrates his voice. Baron Ochs and the notary eagerly discuss the marriage contract and dowry arrangements.
Dissatisfied with the work of her hairdresser, Hippolyte, the Marschallin orders everyone to leave the room. The intriguers Valzacchi and Annina offer their services to the Baron, who expresses an interest in learning more about “maid Mariandel,” so that he can arrange a secret meeting with her.
Left alone, the Marschallin senses the decline of her youth and foresees that her lover will soon leave her. Octavian, who returns to the room dressed once again in his own clothes, passionately protests, reaffirming his love for her. The Marschallin asks him to leave her alone. Realising that her lover has gone without a farewell kiss, she orders her servants to call the Count back, but Octavian has already departed. The Marschallin instructs Mohammed to take the casket containing the silver rose and deliver it to Octavian.
Act II
The wealthy Faninal celebrates the forthcoming ceremony with his daughter Sophie and her companion, Marianne. Count Octavian arrives ceremoniously at the Faninal residence and presents the silver rose to the Baron's bride-to-be. The two young people, engrossed in conversation, soon realise how much they are drawn to each other. Baron Ochs arrives, and his coarse behaviour shocks Sophie. While Faninal and the Baron leave to discuss private matters, Sophie asks Octavian to protect her. She has decided that she no longer wants to marry Ochs. Their conversation becomes increasingly tender. Valzacchi and Annina are secretly listening in, and the two intriguers warn the Baron.
Octavian demands that Ochs give up Sophie, and the conversation quickly becomes heated. At first, Ochs does not take Octavian’s words seriously, but eventually he is forced to draw his sword. Octavian wounds the Baron. Faninal orders the young Count to leave his house and threatens to send Sophie to a convent if she refuses to marry Ochs.
Annina brings the Baron a letter from the love-struck 'maid Mariandel.' Ochs is delighted, convinced that their upcoming intimate encounter will erase all his troubles from his mind.
Act III
Ochs and 'Mariandel' arrive at an inn where guests can freely indulge their carnal desires and fantasies. Once again, the Baron is confused by the 'maid’s' resemblance to Octavian. When the Baron's advances become too explicit, Annina enters, pretending to be the Baron’s abandoned wife, lamenting that she has been left alone with a whole group of children.
Octavian receives confirmation from Valzacchi that Faninal will soon arrive. The inn is inspected by a police commissioner, who questions the Baron about the cause of the commotion. Ochs claims that he has been innocently dining with his fiancée. Faninal, who has just arrived, is outraged by this turn of events. The commissioner establishes that 'maid Mariandel' cannot possibly be Faninal’s daughter Sophie. At the height of the scandal, even the Marschallin arrives, trying to make sense of what is happening. Ochs is advised to disappear quickly in order to preserve his good name. The Baron leaves without paying for the services he has received at the inn.
The Marschallin realises that Octavian and Sophie have fallen in love. She understands that there is no point in fighting the inevitable and simply departs. Sophie and Octavian rejoice in the news that they can now be together forever.
Atbalsta
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