Strauss: Feuersnot

The resounding success Richard Strauss’s second opera Feuersnot experienced upon its 1902 Dresden premiere more than made up for the failure several years prior of his first, Guntram.Feuersnot is a lively one-act drama about the ancient Bavarian tradition of celebrating midsummer night with bonfires, songs and dances at the summer solstice – a work full of allusions.The score has quotations from Wagner and echoes of Strauss’s contemporaries including Mahler and Bruckner.Nonetheless, the score is genuine Strauss, in everything from its racy waltzes to its enchanting love duets.Handling the complex score and keeping the balance between the pit and the crowded stage is conductor Gabriele Ferro.“Nicola Beller Carbone triumphs magnificently in the role of Diemut” (Forum Opéra) and Dietrich Henschel, in the role of her suitor Kunrad, sings a “full-voiced baritone” (Tagesspiegel).The behind-the-scenes peak “Making of Feuersnot”, which contains interviews with the artistic team, is an added Special Feature.