Richard Strauss described his two-part opera "Intermezzo" as a "bourgeois comedy with symphonic interludes". The soprano Christine, with her dazzling cantilenas, stands for Strauss' wife Pauline, while the successful court conductor Robert Storch portrays Richard Strauss' alter ego in what was an avant-garde reality drama for its time. This acclaimed production by director Tobias Kratzer brings "Intermezzo" into the present day and emphasizes Strauss' skilful alternation between reality and fiction with breathtaking visual effects and an outstanding, characterful cast. Sir Donald Runnicles conducts the orchestra of the Deutsche Oper Berlin. The cast includes soprano Maria Bengtsson, tenor Thomas Blondelle and baritone Philipp Jekal. This is the second part of Tobias Kratzer's Strauss triptych at the Deutsche Oper Berlin.