Der Rosenkavalier, Royal Opera House

The sumptuous orchestration of Richard Strauss is one of the wonders of the evergreen opera Der Rosenkavalier which gets a brand new production at Covent Garden more than 30 years after Kiri Te Kanawa mesmerised audiences there in the role of the flirtatious Marschallin.

That production was very traditional, with a lavish bed dominating the stage and the implication that it was well used by the noblewoman and her dashing young lover. For his new staging, director Robert Carsen sets the opera, which is partly based on a Molière comedy-ballet, in Vienna at the outbreak of World War I.

Designs are by Paul Steinberg and the costumes by Brigitte Reiffenstuel, who also designed the luxurious costumes for Adriana Lecouvreur, to be revived in spring 2017.

The great American soprano Renée Fleming is to sing the role of the Marschallin – the bored commander's wife – with fellow US singer Rachel Willis-Sørensen singing some of the performances. The British mezzo-soprano Alice Coote and the Anglo-French mezzo Anna Stéphany share the role of the dashing lover Octavian – a "trouser" role.

British soprano Sophie Bevan, most recently seen at Covent Garden in Le Nozze di Figaro, sings Sophie, in love with Octavian, and the British bass Matthew Rose sings the Marschallin's clumsy cousin Baron Ochs.

But some of the most memorable music will come from the pit, where Andris Nelsons is to conduct all the performances. Strauss's great gift for creating ethereal and surprising textures as well as soaring melodies is at its peak in this opera, first performed in 1911 – the era in which this new production is set.

Booking opens on 18 October. Click here for more details.