Animal Magic

Elektra may be more concise and Ariadne more approachable, but Die Frau ohne Schatten has some claim to being the most glorious work to emerge from the partnership between Richard Strauss and Hugo von Hofmannsthal. It is certainly the most ambitious, and when provided with the right singers and a conductor who appreciates the full majesty of the score, it stands as nothing short of a masterpiece. For the Berlin première of Claus Guth’s staging – which appeared as the anchor production of this year’s Festtage, the Staatsoper’s annual Easter festival – a deluxe cast and a sublime orchestra under the direction of Zubin Mehta, delivered precisely the kind of towering performance that this opera always deserves but doesn’t always receive. [See video]

As a work of theatre, Die Frau poses undeniable problems for the director. In addition to the…