Singer

When the Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi decided in 1853 to make a courtesan the heroine of an opera, it was more than unusual; indeed, it was scandalous. Verdi was inspired to create his opera La traviata by the true life story of Marie Duplessis, who had died only a few years earlier – a story immortalized by Alexandre Dumas the Younger in his novel The Lady of the Camellias . Like Dumas, however, Verdi is not concerned with depicting reality, but rather with telling a story, exploring the tightrope walk between fate and self-determination. 

La traviata

City Theatre, Bern

“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

Two love triangles, multiple murders, and boiling emotions. Behind it all: betrayed love, jealousy, and hatred. Pietro Mascagni's opera Cavalleria rusticana and Ruggero Leoncavallo's Pagliacci are two works now almost inextricably linked; composed in 1890 and 1892 respectively, they both evoke the sounds, scents, and atmosphere of southern Italy, but in their brutality and harshness, they also reflect the naturalistic approach of Verismo at the end of the 19th century. 

Cavalleria Rusticana I Pagliacci

What an operatic opening! A king sings of a plane tree and its "dear, sweet, and lovely" shade in enchantingly beautiful tones. The Largo "Ombra mai fu" from the opera Xerxes ( Serse ) of 1738 is among George Frideric Handel's most famous compositions. It is the title character—the Persian king Xerxes—who opens the opera with this heartfelt hymn of praise, but who also reveals choleric tendencies as the plot unfolds. For in addition to this plane tree, the king also loves Romilda, the betrothed of his brother Arsamene, who in turn is loved by Romilda's sister Atalanta.

Mezzo-soprano

Sophie Kidwell

Events

Upcoming events

Sep 6, 2026 - Jan 19, 2027

La traviata · Bühnen Bern

Nov 8, 2026 - Apr 13, 2027

Don Giovanni · Bühnen Bern

Jan 3 - May 23, 2027

Cavalleria Rusticana I Pagliacci · Bühnen Bern

Feb 21 - Jun 16, 2027

Xerxes · Bühnen Bern

Future and recently performed repertoire

Flora Bervoix in La traviata by Verdi

Bühnen Bern

Lola in Cavalleria Rusticana by Mascagni

Bühnen Bern

Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni by Mozart

Bühnen Bern

Amastre in Xerxes by Handel

Bühnen Bern

About

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