Richard Strauss (1864-1949)
Intermezzo
A bourgeois comedy with symphonic interludes in two acts, Op.72 (1924)
Libretto by the composer
Court Conductor Robert Storch: Philipp Jekal (baritone)
Christine, his wife: Maria Bengtsson (soprano)
Anna, the maid: Anna Schoeck (soprano)
Baron Lummer: Thomas Blondelle (tenor)
Orchestra of the Deutsche Opera Berlin / Sir Donald Runnicles
Tobias Kratzer (stage direction)
rec. live, 1 and 5 May 2024, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Naxos NBD0188V Blu-ray [158]

Richard Strauss wrote his own libretto for Intermezzo, because it related to an incident in his domestic circumstances. His wife Pauline was a lady of some temperament. That led to scenes and upsets, but there is no doubt that they were deeply in love. It can be seen in the note that he sent her after she had flown off the handle without warning. Writing to her from Frankfurt after the fracas, he mentioned her “adorable contrition” and went on:

You really ought not to make so much of these things. Since I know you so very well, and also know for certain that you are very fond of me, “scenes” like this are never going to be able to shake my trust in you. The only thing is that I am often distressed for you, because your nerves are not strong enough to help you stand up to these bursts of feeling […] So calm down my sweet darling […] my love for you is always the same. So there is nothing to forgive.

Incidentally, Strauss said that his wife’s temperamental outbursts kept him on his toes, and somehow stimulated his musical imagination. He composed eighteen operas, including two versions of Ariadne auf Naxos, Der Kampf mit dem Drachen (when he was 12) and Des Essels Schatten (left incomplete after his death). Intermezzo was the tenth. He was 60 when it was first performed in Dresden in 1924. It has never achieved much success. Recordings have been few and far between, although the symphonic interludes have periodically appeared on disc as fillers.

The libretto relates the only occasion when Strauss was significantly perturbed by his wife’s reaction to an incident. You can find the storyline here.

In this performance, the opera opens with a striking set: the stage is split horizontally. The bottom half is the sparsely decorated family living room. The upper half is often blank; at other times, it shows a live video in which the characters communicate in a sort of live chat on their mobile phones. Black-and-white film snippets of Strauss’s other operas are also shown. Then, memorably, there appears a cross-section of the aircraft in which the main character rushes home to try to understand what has gone on whilst he was away.

The production employs costumes vividly; wigs and spectacles are used to emphasize the character’s personalities. At one striking point, Christine is shown visiting her lawyer, dressed as a sort of Elektra wielding an axe! This undoubtedly shows her mercurial character. She is portrayed as the sort of person who breezes through life, careless of her words and actions.

Considerable liberties are taken with the relationship between Christine and Baron Lummer. They are shown together in a bedroom in a state of semi-undress, and then she adopts dresses appropriate for Salome and for the Marschallin. These depictions are more emphatic than a mere implication that Lummer was more than just her protégé, even if the libretto never revealed anything other than flirtation.

The first scene opens with Robert the conductor on the point of leaving home for a protracted tour. The house is in chaos as Christine worries, fusses, frets, interferes and generally makes a nuisance of herself, to no good effect – everything has been taken care of by the super-efficient long-suffering maid. The husband constantly tries to calm her down, clearly well-used to her character. Everything proceeds at considerable speed, and the scene, along with most of the remainder, is very wordy. The continuous parlando dialogues get in the way of recognising themes in the music. A direct quotation from Strauss himself is not inappropriate here:

In none of my other works is the significance given to the dialogue greater than in this bourgeois comedy, which offers very few opportunities for so-called cantilena writing; the lyrical element the portrayal of the emotional experiences of the protagonists, is primarily and most effectively presented in the extended orchestral intermezzi.

Strauss peppered the entire opera with orchestral interludes that he then made into a suite; it appears occasionally on disc. Usefully, they allows the audience and singers time to draw breath and recover, and they act as a sort of musical summary of what has gone before, Strauss shows his consummate mastery of the orchestra, which is as complex here as in any of his preceding oeuvre. These intermezzi are well worth getting to know, especially the second, Träumerei am Kamin.

Things become a little bit confusing for the viewer when Robert’s rôle as a renowned celebrity conductor is brought to the fore during these intermezzi. Video projection shows the orchestra in the pit playing them with Robert conducting, whereas a few seconds before we have seen Donald Runnicles putting the excellent orchestra through its paces.

Strauss mentions cantilena writing. There is a little, especially where Christine is with her young son. Maria Bengtsson shows off her beautiful voice in a way that the constant fast-spoken dialogue cannot. In fact, she achieves an amazing level of acting ability, vocal stamina, control and purity of tone when called for. She gives, in short, an outstanding performance that deserves all the sustained applause she receives.

Not far behind is Philipp Jekal. He has to act the part of a husband who is deeply in love with his ‘difficult’ wife, and who is not afraid to defend her when his acquaintances make fun of them both. Jekal’s pleasing mid-baritone voice comes to the fore in the final scene when Robert returns home to a wife who has started to realise that she has been impulsive, but who is trying her best to present herself as hard done by.

The next most ubiquitous character is the maid Anna, sung here by soprano Anna Schoeck. She is the verbal protagonist for Christine when Robert and Lummer are off stage. So, she is also required to partake of fast-spoken dialogue. She too is in good voice, and is an excellent actress who well portrays facial and bodily expressions of long-suffering patience.

There is one unusual appearance in the character of a cook, not listed in the booklet. I assume this to be bass Tobias Kehrer. His listed appearance occurs during the Skat scene: Robert receives a message that Christine is intending divorce because of certain Mieze Maier. Kehrer has a vigorous bushy beard. In his alternate appearance as a cook he dressed in female clothes, which is either intended as a nod of support to trans women, or as a comic touch. Given the audience laughter when he sings a few words in his splendid deep bass voice, it is taken as the latter.

Comedy comes to the fore during the scene with the notary. Christine wields an axe, smashing into the desk when he refuses to begin divorce proceedings immediately. The poor notary falls to the floor as Christine – in Valkyrie or Elektra form – chases him. Markus Brück as the notary is excellent here.

The sound quality on the Blu-ray disc is excellent. The voices are always to the fore, but not excessively so, and the orchestral sound, especially in the intermezzi, is really good. The orchestra players get plenty of exposure, as they undoubtedly deserve. The lighting is excellent, although I occasionally noticed a little bit of glare on Donald Runnicles’ white hair as he conducts with vigour and enthusiasm.

In the years following Intermezzo’s first production, Strauss received a lot of conservative criticism for daring to use the ups and downs of his marriage as the subject of an opera. He was (and maybe is) unique in this respect. Actually, it works and – thanks to his ability as a composer – it makes a considerable impression. For a first-time hearer it is probably a tad overwhelming, but subsequent outings will prove more and more enlightening. (So will his tone poem Sinfonia domestica, when given the chance.)

Jim Westhead

Previous review: Dominic Hartley

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Other cast
Franzl: Elliott Woodruff (spoken)
Stroh: Clemens Bieber (tenor)
Notary: Markus Brück (baritone)
Wife of the notary: Nadine Secunde (soprano)
Commissioner: Joel Allison (baritone)
Lawyer: Simon Pauly (baritone)
Singer: Tobias Kehrer (bass)
Resi: Lilit Davtyan (soprano)

Production team
Rainer Sellmaier (set and costume design)
Stefan Woinke (lighting design)
Jonas Dahl and Janic Bebi (video design)
Jörg Königsdorf (dramaturge)
Götz Filenius (video director)

Technical details
Picture format: 1080i High Definition
Sound format: PCM Stereo / DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Region code: 0 (worldwide)
Audio language: German
Subtitles: English, German, Japanese, Korean
Running time: 158 mins

A production by Deutsche Oper Berlin and Naxos in association with Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg.