The European press celebrates Diana Damrau in her new signature role as the Marschallin at the premiere of Johann Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier at the Zurich Opera House.

Production: Lydia Steier; Set design and aesthetic concept: Gottfried Hellnwein; Light design: Elana Siberski; Video: Tabea Rothfuchs, Ruth Stofer

SRF Kultur Kompakt Radio, September 22, 2025

Journalist: Elisabeth von Kalnein
“… and vocally, she is of course top class, how finely she models every note and shapes the lines with so many nuances…”

Tages-Anzeiger Zurich, September 23, 2025

Journalist: Peter König
“Diana Damrau masterfully embodies the nobility, the inner conflict, but also the grandeur of the Marschallin.”

Aargauer Zeitung, September 22, 2025

Journalist: Christian Berzins
“Diana Damrau is a great storyteller, a wonderful lyricist…”

El País, September 22, 2025

Journalist: Pablo L. Rodríguez
“At the forefront was soprano Diana Damrau as a lively and approachable Marschallin, who stood out for her natural expressiveness…”

Operawire, September 23, 2025

Journalist: Francisco Salazar
“Redefining the Marschallin
Her voice soared with gorgeous legato lines and beautiful, floated pianissimi…. Damrau’s vocal delivery had grace and poise as well as authority…”

Opern News, September 23, 2025

Journalist: Roberto Becker
“As a total work of art, her Marschallin is almost a counterpoint to the now mannered artificiality of Elisabeth Schwarzkopf in this role.”

La Scena Musicale, 23.9.2025
Journalist: Denise Wendel-Poray
“German soprano Diana Damrau was an exceptionally touching Marschallin, bringing her signature elegance of phrasing and mastery of nuance in Hofmannsthal’s language. Her Act I monologue on the transience of youth and beauty became one of the performance’s most poignant moments, sung with luminous fragility that conveyed both resignation and tenderness.”

seniorweb, 22.9.2025
Journalist: Sibylle Ehrismann
„… Damrau’s lyrical, transfigured singing gets under your skin.” 

Bachtrack, 22.9.2025
Journalist: Laura Servidei
„Diana Damrau brought her crystalline, splendid soprano to the role of the Marschallin, imbuing every phrase with meaning through her intelligent and poignant acting. She skilfully conveyed both the character’s passion and her measured aristocratic elegance, rendering the Marschallin’s musings on the passage of time genuinely moving. While a deeper, darker voice might be considered traditional for the part, Damrau’s interpretation, combined with the sheer beauty of her instrument, proved irresistible.”