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It’s the most performed opera in the German-speaking region, an unusual – and masterly – blend of Viennese folk theatre and fairy tale, mythology and freemasonry mystique: Mozart’s THE MAGIC FLUTE remains a puzzle to this day. Did Mozart and his librettist Schikaneder switch horses from the Queen of the Night to Sarastro half way through? Is the message not one of distrust towards a supposedly infallible priesthood and its simplistic good-versus-evil ideology? Are some Mozart experts right when they talk of a disconnect between text and music? Whatever the answer, it’s the music that allows us to relate to the story’s contradictions. Far from denouncing the characters, it confers an existentiality on their conflicts.

Prince Tamino falls head over heels in love with Princess Pamina when he receives her picture as a gift. Pamina's love for the Prince is awakened when she hears the tales of Papageno, the bird catcher, with whom she then sings a love duet, Papageno standing in for Tamino. However, these two children of royal blood have a few obstacles to surmount before they can be united. Fortunately there's always music in the meantime: Tamino is given a magic flute that can tame wild animals, and Papageno has a musical instrument, a glockenspiel of magic chimes.

The comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream is one of the most well-known and beloved works by William Shakespeare, exploring the power of love, the confusions of human emotions, and the magic of fantasy. The plot skilfully weaves together various storylines: lovers fleeing strict laws, fairy kings and queens ruling over the natural realm, and a group of clumsy craftsmen preparing a performance for the royal court. Amidst a dense forest, a setting full of secrets and inexplicable powers, love couples encounter obstacles that test their bonds. The fairy kingdom plays its own game with human love destinies, confusing lovers with a magical love potion that makes them fall in love with the first person they see. Themes such as the irrationality of love, the boundaries between reality and dream, and the dynamics between power and fantasy are skilfully interwoven. Choreographer Edward Clug, Ballet Director of the Slovenian National Theatre Maribor, dedicates himself to this classic, bringing his unique vision to the stage and transporting audiences with his vision into a world full of magic and deep emotions. The choreography highlights both the comic and dramatic aspects of the story. Clug's choreographic interpretation, set to the music specially composed by Milko Lazar for this piece, tells Shakespeare's story through a contemporary lens – a tale that explores the depths of human nature while remaining humorous and enchanting. The music by Milko Lazar is a commissioned work that is composed in close connection with Clug's creation and will have its world premiere with the orchestra of the Deutsche Oper Berlin.