As a final event of the 2024 Edinburgh International Festival the choice of the Richard Strauss opera, Capriccio, uninterrupted for two and a quarter hours seems an odd choice.
- I am unfamiliar with this piece never having seen nor heard it before. The music seems unexciting although the conceit of trying to choose words or music as a superior art form gives rise to an intellectual exercise couched as a love triangle.
- The libretto by Clemens Krauss gives rise to some interesting thoughts, not least that which countess Madeleine exclaims: “Feel with me that all arts have but one homeland: our heart craves Beauty!”
However, the entire piece seems unnecessarily long.
The Philharmonia Orchestra under the baton of Alexander Soddy provided a solid performance. The singing of all the principles was excellent but especial mention needs to be made of Malin Byström as the Countess and Peter Rose as La Roche.
So, the question of which is the greater, music or poetry, remains unresolved for us to mull in our own minds as the closing monologue of Madeleine meditates on the inseparability of music and poetry.
https://www.eif.co.uk/events/closing-concert-capriccio
