Houston Grand Opera

Richard Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier waltzes into HGO in a stylish production from director Bruno Ravella. The staging transports the 18th-century comedy of manners into the chic world of 1950s Vienna, where the glamorous Marschallin is having an affair with the young Count Octavian—until his heart is captured by Sophie, the innocent fiancée of the blundering Baron Ochs. What follows is a delicious mix of mistaken identities, romantic awakenings, and bittersweet partings, all set to Strauss’s lush, sparkling score, filled with swirling waltzes and opera’s most transcendent final trio. Sublime soprano Tamara Wilson makes her role debut as the Marschallin, with bass Matthew Rose reprising his acclaimed Ochs, and two rising stars in their company debuts, mezzo-soprano Samantha Hankey as Octavian and soprano Soraya Mafi as Sophie. Conductor Henrik Nánási makes his HGO debut in this sumptuous staging of Strauss’s most beloved opera.