Silent Film with Live Music: Der Rosenkavalier

»Der Rosenkavalier« after Richard Strauss’s opera of the same name was one of the first silent film hits in 1926, and the composer himself helped write the soundtrack. For the screen version, the story was shortened, while some older pieces by Strauss and a newly composed march were added to the original opera score. The film script came from the pen of none other than Hugo von Hofmannsthal, who had previously written the libretto to the opera. The film version of »Der Rosenkavalier« was first shown at Dresden’s Semperoper, where the opera had had its first performance 15 years earlier. After its premiere, however, the film couldn’t be shown for a long time: dubbing problems and the disappearance of the final film roll prevented public showings; not until 2006 did a restored version see the light of day. The film score can now be heard in this version at the Elbphilharmonie, played by members of the Berlin Philharmonic.