One of my favourite parts about being backstage during a show is looking at all the monitors. They’re mostly showing the maestro, via the now-ubiquitous camera in the orchestra pit. I love watching the small reactions on the maestro’s face, noting what he hears, what he wants, if he has any opinions on what’s happening on stage.

If you’re an opera voyeur like me, you’ll love this rare look at Carlos Kleiber conducting Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier, with the Wiener Staatsoper in 1994. It’s a rare, secret look at what goes into performing an opera, especially one of the size and grandeur of Rosenkavalier.

The full opera is on YouTube in 6 parts: - Act 1, part 1 - Act 1, part 2 - Act 2, part 1 - Act 2, part 2 - Act 3, part 1 - Act 3, part 2