The legendary soprano Elisabeth Schwarzkopf stars in this acclaimed film of Richard Strauss' delightful opera, Der Rosenkavalier. This Salzburg Festival production of Strauss' great work toured the world, and this filmed version was hailed by The New York Times as "Superb." Schwarzkopf performs her signature role as Princess von Werdenberg, an aging beauty involved with a younger man, Octavian. But when Octavian agrees to assist Baron Ochs by delivering the Baron's proposal of marriage to the beautiful young Sophie, the messenger and bride-to-be fall in love with each other!

With the opera "Le nozze di Figaro" commenced the remarkably successful cooperation between Mozart and his librettist Lorenzo da Ponte. The first night of "Figaro", presumably Mozart's most perfect musical comedy, was held in Vienna on May 1st, 1786. It is based on Beumarchais' "scandalous" comedy "La Folle Journée ou Le Mariage de Figaro" which, after its first staging in the pre-revolutionary Paris of 1784, soon became a huge success throughout Europe. For the opera, the revolutionary content of the intricate comedy of love and conspiracy against the background of noble capriciousness was actually toned down but not completely abandoned. The extensive ensemble scenes, the treatment of the orchestra and the delicately nuanced musical profiles of the characters hit the target and, looking back, proved to be pioneering for following generations of musicians.