Pfitzner's the Rose of the Love Garden presents a dreamlike magical wonderland. It is a very beautiful German romantic style opera in a post Wagner tradition that looks forward toward later musical developments and at times presents something like a German form of impressionism. The music is in an approachable and interesting style. The work was premiered by Mahler.The work opens with a 50 minute long Prologue. The work seems more approachable heard in short sections due to its structure yet it abounds with melody and there is much to delight. The Prologue is a colourful operetta-like scene setting. It may be helpful to listen to that part at first, then, on a later occasion listening to the rest of the opera from Act One.The First Act teems with techicolour-like beauty, anticpating the scores of German American film composers of a quarter of a century later. The Second Act at times depicts nasty happenings but the work is not a tragedy. The Prelude to Act 2 briefly sounds like early Webern. One should keep in mind that the work is like a fairytale and also that as is often the case in Pfitzner's works, tragedy or grief find resolution.This cd set is in many ways produced to a very high standard that is these days becoming rare. Cd recordings of some Pfitzner operas, apart from Palestrina, such as der Arme Heinrich on Capriccio and das Herz on Marco Polo are becoming harder to obtain, and the CPO recording of das Christelflein seems to be heading in that direction, so now is probably a good time to buy cds of Pfitzner's operas. So many works sell out and are only available in download. This cd set of the Rose is however very much available. The performers sound very accomplished and give the impression of relishing this imaginative and complex score. Oper Chemnitz have brought so many works back to life such as Weill's The Eternal Road. They have certainly brought the Rose into full bloom.The libretto is available in German and in translation to English in the excellent substancial booklet that accompanies the cds.