Renée Fleming is Countess Madeleine, the beautiful, enigmatic woman at the center of Strauss’s sophisticated “Conversation Piece for Music.” She is being courted by two men: Joseph Kaiser sings the composer, Flamand, and Russell Braun is Olivier, the poet. The stellar cast also includes Peter Rose as the theater director La Roche, Sarah Connolly as the actress Clairon, and Morten Frank Larsen as the Countess’s brother. John Cox’s elegant production places the action in the 1920s. Andrew Davis conducts.
| Sound | Andrew Davis | Conductor |
| Art | Robert Perdziola | Interior Designer |
| Art | Mauro Pagano | Set Designer |
| Production | Peter Gelb | Executive Producer |
| Costume & Make-Up | Robert Perdziola | Costume Designer |
| Lighting | Duane Schuler | Lighting Director |
| Directing | Peter McClintock | Stage Director |
| Crew | Val Caniparoli | Choreographer |
| Directing | Gary Halvorson | Director |
| Directing | John Cox | Director |
| Writing | Clemens Krauss | Writer |
| Writing | Richard Strauss | Writer |