Strauss : Intermezzo

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[ DVD – BLU-RAY ]

In Intermezzo, Richard Strauss turns his own married life into the material of a strikingly lucid musical self-portrait. A boldly unvarnished opera, to be discovered in Tobias Kratzer’s striking production at the Deutsche Oper Berlin.

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Description

About

Strauss : Intermezzo

After the demanding work on Die Frau ohne Schatten, Richard Strauss turned to Hugo von Hofmannsthal in search of a lighter subject: a “modern, absolutely realistic comedy.” When his librettist declined, Strauss wrote the text himself, drawing on his own married life to shape an opera that is both intimate and wryly distanced. Intermezzo thus becomes a disguised self-portrait, where private life and artistic creation are closely intertwined.

Moving away from mythological subjects and Symbolist grandeur, Strauss approaches contemporary life with striking freedom while preserving his sumptuous orchestral language. At the centre of the work stands Christine, a radiant soprano role, carried by vocal writing of remarkable lyrical warmth and sensuality.

In this production at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Tobias Kratzer places Intermezzo at the heart of a Strauss trilogy devoted to the dynamics of the couple. Following the emotional trajectories of Arabella, the opera explores the strained “lowlands” of married life, where desire, frustration and identity intertwine.

Kratzer offers a resolutely contemporary reading: that of a woman seeking emancipation, and a composer who turns his own marriage into artistic material, at the risk of freezing its reality. The orchestral interludes, like symphonic breathing spaces, extend this interplay of mirrors between intimacy and creation, anchored in a deeply post-Romantic musical language.

Distribution

Strauss : Intermezzo [DVD & Blu-ray]

A bourgeois comedy with symphonic interludes in two acts

Music and libretto : Richard Strauss (1864-1949)

Court Conductor Robert Storch : Philipp Jekal
Christine, his wife : Maria Bengtsson
Franzl, their son : Elliott Woodruff
Anna, the chambermaid : Anna Schoeck
Baron Lummer : Thomas Blondelle
Stroh, a conductor : Clemens Bieber
Notary : Markus Brück
Wife of the notary : Nadine Secunde
Commissioner : Joel Allison
Lawyer : Simon Pauly
Singer : Tobias Kehrer
Resi : Lilit Davtyan

Berlin Deutsche Opera Orchestra

Conductor : Donald Runnicles

Stage director : Tobias Kratzer

Set and costumes : Rainer Sellmaier
Lighting design : Stefan Woinke

Press

“Philipp Jekal is splendid as the confident, aloof composer, but the star of the show is the magnificent Swedish soprano Maria Bengtsson as Christine, passionate, jealous, multi-faceted, credible. A hundred years later, it’s a tremendous rebuff…” — BRITISH THEATRE GUIDE

“The Deutsche Oper Intermezzo production is notably avant garde, with eccentric staging.” — CLASSICAL CD CHOICE

“Bengtsson achieves an amazing level of acting ability, vocal stamina, control and purity of tone when called for. She gives, in short, an outstanding performance that deserves all the sustained applause she receives.” — MUSICWEB INTERNATIONAL

“Taking centre stage with an impeccable performance, soprano Maria Bengtsson shines as Christine, bringing charisma and versatility to her acting and demonstrating a flexible instrument with excellent technical control.” — RITMO

“Perfectly rehearsed and cleverly realised on stage, Tobias Kratzer’s staging for the Deutsche Oper Berlin uses Rainer Sellmaier’s sparse but to the point designs… the orchestral interludes show the virtuoso orchestra in the pit.” — BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE

“Maria Bengtsson is more than capable, indeed she’s magnificent throughout as a singer and actor, the pivot of the whole production.” — MUSICWEB INTERNATIONAL

“Maria Bengtsson is mesmerizing as Christine. She handles the nuances (and micro-aggressions) in the music and text flawlessly – a truly impressive performance.” — PARTERRE BOX

“The orchestra and conductor Donald Runnicles are in fine form, and, as Christine, Swedish soprano Maria Bengtsson gives the towering portrayal the opera needs to succeed.” — THE FLIP SIDE

“Pride of place goes to Maria Bengtsson as Christine. She’s just the right amount of over the top and she’s vocally solid.” — OPERARAMBLINGS

Technical informations

HD recording : Deutsche Oper Berlin | 05/2024
TV direction : Götz Filenius
Release date : 01 November 2025
Distribution : Naxos Distribution

1 DVD
Reference : 2.110780
Barcode : 747313578054
Running time : 158 min.
Subtitles : ENG / GER / JAP / KOR
Image : Color, 16/9, NTSC
Sound : Dolby Digital 2.0, DTS 5.1
Region code : 0

1 BLU-RAY
Reference : NBD0188V
Barcode : 730099018869
Running time : 158 min.
Subtitles : ENG / GER / JAP / KOR
Image : Color, 16/9, Full HD
Sound : PCM 2.0, DTS HD Master audio 5.1
Region code : A, B, C

About Naxos Audiovisual

NAXOS Audiovisual, a production and distribution company and DVD label, offers a catalogue of over 3,000 major opera, ballet, concert and documentary productions. It exclusively distributes productions from the Royal Opera House as well as from renowned producers such as Bel Air, Idéale Audience, François Roussillon et Associés, PARS Media and Dynamic. The greatest artists of our time are captured in high-quality recordings of acclaimed productions from prestigious venues such as Covent Garden, the Bolshoi Theatre, the Teatro Real, the Opéra Comique, the Bavarian State Opera, the Verbier Festival and many more.

Since 2024, Naxos, Opus Arte and Bel Air Classiques have agreed to pool their resources, underlining their shared values ​​of artistic excellence, innovation and transmission.

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