Christoph Waltz directs Rosenkavalier

After winning his second Oscar in February, the Austrian Actor  Christoph Waltz announced that he will stage Richard Strauss' opera Der Rosenkavalier, with the libretto by Hugo von Hoffmannsthal, at the Vlaamse Opera in Antwerpen, the Netherlands.

The comedy is set in the aristocratic circles of late 18th century in Vienna.

The Vienna native told Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, he wishes to "offer the spectator his or her own place on stage".

Waltz wants to emphasise the music and opera's capacity to connect the audience with the subject matter.

The cast includes Christiane Karg as Shopie, Maria Bengtsson as the Feldmarschallin  and Labert Pesendorfer as Baron Ochs auf Lerchenau, and Dmitri Jurowski is the musical director. Premiere: 15 December.