Sunday Brunch – Arabella: Aber der Richtige (della Casa & Rothenberger)

No one could mistake Anneliese Rothenberger for a boy, especially not in this getup. But that doesn't make this clip any less enjoyable. For much of her career she sang operetta, but she also sang major Mozart and Richard Strauss roles, including Sophie, and performed the role of Arabella, at least in concert. Ironically, with all that operetta, Strauss and Mozart in her repertoire  my first exposure to Ms. Rothenberger was as Alban Berg's Lulu (photo in the NYT obit).

Lisa della Casa's first Strauss role was Zdenka. Eventually she graduated to Arabella, and ultimately sang all three principal roles in Der Rosenkavalier (wink to Earworm.) For many years, she was the go-to soprano in Europe for Mozart. 

Lisa della Casa & Anneliese Rothenberger

Arabella und Zdenka

Anneliese left this world almost three years ago.  Here is her New York Times Obituary, which notes, “As befits a diva, her exact age had long been shrouded in obscurity…” Ms. della Casa died just about a month ago at the age of 93. The New York Times published an obituary/appreciation of her in December. But even though these two wonderful sopranos are no longer with us, their art lives on via audio recordings, and even several videos.