Der Rosenkavalier

Act 1 - The bedroom of the Marschallin

The morning sun drapes itself over the lounging body of the Marschallin who, in her lace peignoir, is held by the young Count Octavian kneeling at her side. An intense night of pleasure has left the couple in a blissful dreamlike state. Octavian is in awe of the Marschallin. He is honored to have this private understanding and connection with her, and muses on the words ‘du und Ich’ (‘you and I’) and how the difference makes no sense, and yet it is exactly this difference which is so thrilling to him (“Wie du warst! Wie du bist!”). He fights the arrival of the new day, knowing that this will mean the Marschallin must return to her public duties, and the intimate spell over them will be broken.

A bell rings from within the house, and the Marschallin is startled. Octavian passes it off as nothing, but the Marschallin is worried her husband is returning. Instead, the bell announces the arrival of the Little Black Boy with the breakfast. The