Der Rosenkavalier (The Knight of the Rose) is a comic opera by German composer Richard Strauss and is generally considered to be his greatest, as well as one of the most performed operas in the standard repertoire. The opera's Dresden premier in 1911 was a success beyond anyone's wildest expectations, effectively securing the careers of both the composer and those responsible for the opera's production moving forward. The story is a comedy of errors involving a womanizing baron who arranges a marriage with the daughter of a wealthy bourgeois family--sending her a silver rose as a traditional symbol of courtship. Unfortunately for the baron, the young woman falls in love with the knight (a role sung by a woman) delivering the rose and both try to find a way to escape from the baron's clutches. Despite the opera's use of waltzes, which were out of fashion at the time, it received almost universal acclaim from critics and audiences alike, and is still performed regularly by opera houses throughout the world.
