Dramaturge

For racist reasons, Leonora's father disapproves of her relationship with the stranger Alvaro. The two, however, refuse to let go of each other and decide to flee. In doing so, Alvaro unwittingly becomes the father's murderer. Leonora's brother seeks revenge for his father, and a cycle of violence ensues. La forza del destino is Giuseppe Verdi's most expansive opera: a spectacular portrayal of close family ties in times of war, of the Church, of escapism – like a painting by Brueghel. And no matter how much the protagonists resist, they experience life and the world as determined by fate, without escape and without hope for peace and forgiveness.

La forza del destino

City Theatre, Bern

"I lived for art, I lived for love." In a dictatorship, the singer Floria Tosca fights for her great love, the painter Cavaradossi. Threatened by the ruthless police chief Baron Scarpia, she sees no other way out than to kill him. However, her love for Cavaradossi remains unfulfilled: contrary to their prior agreement, his execution is not staged, but the bullet strikes him dead. In despair, Tosca throws herself to her death. 

Tosca

“Viva la libertà!” sing the protagonists at the end of the first act of Mozart’s dramma giocoso Don Giovanni . But what does freedom actually mean here? Is it Giovanni’s freedom to desire any woman at any time without restraint? Or rather the Enlightenment ideal of a society without class barriers? And how free are the people who try to resist their inner dependence on Giovanni? 

Don Giovanni

The play's central question is a timeless one: How does our language shape our place in society? Eliza Doolittle wants to escape her social environment and seizes the opportunity: She wants to learn standard German from the famous phonetics professor Henry Higgins – and she practices: "It's so green when Spain's flowers bloom" or "I see crows nearby, deer even closer." And, as so often happens: Suddenly, desire and love enter the picture. 

Dramaturge

Rainer Karlitschek

Events

Upcoming events

Sep 26 - Oct 20, 2026

Tosca · Bühnen Bern

Nov 8, 2026 - Apr 13, 2027

Don Giovanni · Bühnen Bern

Mar 21 - Jun 26, 2027

My Fair Lady · Bühnen Bern

Past events

May 5 - Jun 19, 2026

La forza del destino · Bühnen Bern

About

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