A new release on the Mariinsky label

Die Frau ohne Schatten is one of Richard Strauss’ most complex and melodious opera scores. Few theatres regularly have this opera in their repertoires due to the extreme complexity of the vocal roles, multidimensional sets and the tremendous demands made of the orchestra – both in terms of brilliant skill and in terms of numbers. The Mariinsky Theatre is the first – and to date the only – Russian opera house to have staged its own production of Die Frau ohne Schatten.

The disc features the production by acclaimed British stage director Jonathan Kent, recorded at the historic Mariinsky Theatre in December 2011. The principal roles are sung by leading Mariinsky Opera soloists Mlada Khudoley (the Empress), Avgust Amonov (the Emperor), Olga Savova (the Nurse), Edem Umerov (Barak) and Olga Sergeyeva (Barak’s Wife) with Valery Gergiev conducting the Mariinsky Orchestra. As with the label’s previous releases of Attila and The Gambler, Die Frau ohne Schatten will be available in two formats – DVD and Blu-ray.

Composed to a libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal, a major Austrian playwright and regular collaborator of the composer, the opera was conceived as a philosophical humanist tale. The action unfolds in two parallel worlds – the “lofty” (that of the imperial family) and the “low” (the family of Barak the Dyer), vividly contrasting both musically and in Kent’s production which subtly embodies the nuances of Strauss’ score.