R. Strauss - Hab' mir's gelobt, ihn lieb from Der Rosenkavalier (transcribed for cello and piano)

Richard Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier is one of his most beloved operas, combining nostalgic Viennese elegance, psychological depth, and some of the most ravishing vocal writing of the early twentieth century. Premiered in 1911, the opera reaches one of its most unforgettable moments in the final trio, Hab’ mir’s gelobt, ihn lieb zu haben, where the Marschallin, Octavian, and Sophie reflect on love, renunciation, and the passage of time.

This transcription adapts one of Strauss’s most beautiful operatic scenes for cello and piano. The cello takes on the soaring vocal lines, allowing the music’s long phrases, harmonic richness, and emotional intensity to speak through the instrument’s lyrical register.

Expressive, atmospheric, and deeply rewarding to play, this transcription is well suited for recitals, lessons, and Romantic or early twentieth-century programming. It offers cellists a chance to bring one of Strauss’s great operatic moments into the cello repertoire.

ASTA level: 3