Capriccio: Metropolitan Opera (Andrew Davis) (2011)

Performance of Richard Strauss's final opera 'Capriccio' by the Metropolitan Opera, conducted by Andrew Davis. Countess Madeleine is being courted by poet Olivier and musician Flamand, but cannot make her mind up between them. Meanwhile, her brother is in love with Olivier's former mistress, Clairon, opposite whom he is to star in a play commissioned for the Countess' birthday. As the story progresses, the Countess's indecision over the two men courting her provides a dramatic means to explore the relative importance of music and words in opera. Renée Fleming stars.