This week on the Ether Game Weekly Music Quiz Podcast, we're celebrating Valentine's Day by looking at some famous musical duos and duets. It's a show we're calling "Just The Two Of Us"! Can you name this binary tune? (The answer is below) Remember to keep your ears out for a portion of Tuesday night's Teaser selection. And don't forget to tune into the full show on Tuesday, February 13th at 8:00pm for a chance to win a prize!
Richard Strauss (1864–1949)
DER ROSENKAVALIER
Mir Ist Die Ehre Widerfahren (Presentation of the Rose Duet)
Hei-Kyung Hong, soprano; Jennifer Larmore, mezzo-soprano
Münchner Rundfunkorchester; Jesús López Cobos, conductor
Bellezza Vocale: Beautiful Opera Duets (Teldec)
Love at first sight seems to be a common theme within opera and that is certainly the case with Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier. In this iconic love duet, the Baron Ochs has decided that he wants to marry young Sofie and appoints Count Octavian to present her with a silver rose on his behalf. But, as soon as they set eyes upon one another, Sofie and the young count fall instantly in love instead. The rest of the opera thus enfolds as a complicated romantic farce. There's another important duo at the heart of Der Rosenkavalier, and that's between Strauss and the librettist Hugo Von Hofmannsthal. This opera cemented their musical relationship, and the two would go on to collaborate on four additional operas including Ariadne auf Naxos and Arabella.