Strauss: Arabella (Deutsche Oper Berlin, 2023, Dir.: Kratzer)

Richard Strauss' "Arabella" is a lyrical comedy that portrays the needs and obsessions of a society whose late-bourgeois values are crumbling. Gambling addiction has driven the family of the cavalry officer Waldner into financial ruin, and their only hope of salvation lies in marrying their daughter Arabella to a wealthy family. Strauss' opulent orchestration combined with the contemporary Viennese setting has led to Arabella being perceived as a lighthearted comedy of errors. Tobias Kratzer's multifaceted production also examines the inconsistencies between the characters and highlights tensions that connect 19th-century Vienna with the present day. Tobias Kratzer won a series of awards in 2008, including first prize at the International Ring Award competition in Graz. Since then, he has directed numerous productions that have been nominated for and won various awards, including Production of the Year for "Tannhäuser" and Director of the Year. Conductor Sir Donald Runnicles is the General Music Director of the Deutsche Oper Berlin and Music Director of the Grand Teton Music Festival (Jackson, Wyoming), as well as Principal Guest Conductor of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. He was recently appointed Honorary Conductor of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra after serving as its Chief Conductor from 2009 to 2016. Maestro Runnicles maintains close and lasting relationships with several of the most important opera houses and orchestras and is particularly celebrated for his interpretations of the romantic and post-romantic symphonic and operatic repertoire, which form the core of his musical identity.