Vienna State Opera [ENA] Richard Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier is one of the most interesting and supreme achievements of the twentieth-century repertoire, and at the Vienna State Opera it receives exactly the kind of performance tradition this masterpiece deserves. The opera combines luminous orchestration, social comedy, tenderness, and melancholy in a way that seems almost uniquely Viennese.   [Full story...]

Volksoper [ENA] Stephen Sondheim’s Follies at the Volksoper Vienna is a dazzling reminder of how intelligent musical theatre can be when style, emotion, and ensemble artistry are brought together with real conviction. The Austrian premiere has been welcomed as a triumph, and that response is easy to understand: this is a production that combines musical brilliance, theatrical wit, and emotional depth.   [Full story...]