Richard Strauss' turbulent marriage drama 'Intermezzo' is celebrated at the Semperoper Dresden

"Why don't you stay in bed instead of upsetting us unnecessarily with your bad morning mood?" asks the composer and conductor Robert Storch to his wife Christine in the turbulent opera "Intermezzo" by Richard Strauss. Many of the dialogs in the work, for which the composer himself wrote the libretto, seem extremely lifelike even 100 years after they were written. Strauss had to know what he was doing; his opera provided insights into his own married life.

The Semperoper Dresden praises "Intermezzo" as one of the most fascinating works of opera literature of the early 20th century. "In contrast to the great, mythical dramas of Strauss' earlier works, this autobiographical musical conversation piece focuses on a modern marriage drama in its historical context," reads the invitation to this Friday's premiere. Two of Strauss' great-granddaughters and other family members will also be in attendance.

Strauss premiered nine of his 15 operas in Dresden

Richard Strauss (1864-1949) had a close relationship with the Dresden Opera and the court orchestra of the time. Under the general music directors Ernst von Schuch, Fritz Busch and Karl Böhm, 9 of his 15 operas were premiered here, including "Salome", "Elektra" and "Der Rosenkavalier". Strauss called Dresden a "Dorado for world premieres". The composer also dedicated his "Alpine Symphony" to the orchestra. To this day, the Staatskapelle Dresden enjoys an international reputation as the "Strauss orchestra".

With its mixture of humor, emotional intimacy and musical sophistication, "Intermezzo" occupies a special place in Strauss' oeuvre. After working on "Die Frau ohne Schatten", Strauss longed for a thoroughly realistic subject, "real people should animate the stage", writes the Semperoper. "What could be more obvious than to dramatize an incident from his own turbulent married life?" The marriage drama Storch or Strauss is now to be illuminated from different perspectives.

Director hopes for a humorous evening for the audience

The Saxon State Opera has engaged Berlin filmmaker, director, podcaster and opera enthusiast Axel Ranisch for this. He wants to bring the bourgeois comedy to life with a lot of humor. He hopes that the audience will have a lot to laugh about. "That's my aim: if not to laugh, then at least to smile and be intoxicated by married life." It is quite possible that the Semperoper audience has a high potential for identification.

Ranisch is full of praise for Strauss' libretto: "I admire the way he constructs the scenes. They suit me very well because they are very cinematic - quick cuts, quick scene changes, the scenes are crisp and to the point, they have an incredible number of turning points. There isn't a single scene, even the very short ones, in which nothing moves." There is a plot point in every scene, and as a director you can only be grateful for that.

Several events round off the anniversary of the world premiere

In "Intermezzo" 2024, Maria Bengtsson and Christoph Pohl interpret the roles of the supposedly betrayed and cheating spouses. The Austrian Patrick Hahn, who is making his Semperoper debut, is the musical director. Around the 100th anniversary of the premiere of "Intermezzo", Strauss fans can also explore the master's work in other ways. The Semperoper has a veritable bouquet of events lined up, including an exhibition, a matinee and talks.