Singer

An opera about Auschwitz seemed unimaginable. And yet, it did. It was composed by Mieczysław Weinberg, a Polish-Jewish Varsovian who lost his family in the camp and of whom the opera's director, David Pountney, said that he "spent his life creating music in memory of his lost loved ones." Weinberg was inspired by the novel The Passenger (1962) by Zofia Posmysz. The author survived the camp. The decision to bear witness to the cruelty of the Holocaust was obvious to her. The Passenger describes a voyage on a luxury ocean liner, during which the Polish woman Marta recognizes the elegant woman, Lisa, an SS overseer from Auschwitz (the German woman's real name is Annelise Franz). Weinberg's music, in keeping with the action, is diverse, realistic, and symbolic at once; different when it accompanies conversations in the sun on the ship's deck, with the orchestra playing for the passengers to dance to, and different when the hell of Auschwitz unfolds below deck. The prisoners are of different nationalities, so their solo singing, as well as the seven-voice Song of Life and Death , is multilingual. The prisoners ' Requiem for the Black Wall echoes with the bell, Bach's Chaconne , and the camp orchestra. Weinberg's The Passenger, completed in 1968 in the Soviet Union, could not be performed there because its content was too reminiscent of Soviet labor camps. Only in 2006, after the composer's death, was it performed in Moscow in concert. Did staging an opera about Auschwitz seem impossible? And yet, it was. David Pountney produced it in 2010. First, there was the Bregenz Festival and Warsaw. Then London, Houston, New York, Chicago, Detroit, and Florida. And everywhere, every time: a stage bisected by light and sound. A cheerful, prosperous Europe. And the hell of the Holocaust. Its memory endures. The world cannot forget.

Passenger

Teatr Wielki - Polish National Opera

Bartók’s ballet is a fairytale, for sure, but this is 20th-century Hungary, where folklore has a habit of growing teeth and claws. Edward Gardner shares the choral ecstasies of Szymanowski’s gorgeous Stabat Mater, and champions the utterly original music of Vítězslava Kaprálová. Expect surging emotions, burning colours and glorious singing; but above all, prepare to be transported.

The Wooden Prince

Southbank Centre

Azucena had to witness her mother being burned as a witch. In revenge, she kidnapped the younger of the two sons of the old Count di Luna, who ordered her mother’s burning, but in her delirium she threw her own son onto the flames instead of the Count’s son. Years later, the new Count di Luna, the brother of the kidnapped child, and the »Troubadour« Manrico, the supposed son of Azucena, not only fight on opposing sides in a civil war, but also encounter each other because they both love the lady-in-waiting Leonora. Nobody suspects that Manrico is actually Luna’s kidnapped brother – until Leonora sacrifices herself for her beloved and the hate-filled Luna kills his rival.

The Troubadour

Bebelplatz

«You will die! A friend will kill you.» – The scene with the fortune teller Ulrica, who prophesies that Count Riccardo will soon meet his end, is just one of many effective scenes in Verdi’s opera Un ballo in maschera. Riccardo doesn’t believe Ulrica, and laughs – but a short while later he is murdered by his best friend Renato during a masked ball. Comedy and horror are also closely linked musically in this score from Verdi’s middle creative phase. The story of an idle, politically weak ruler who is killed at a masked ball is based on the historical case of Gustav III of Sweden. However, Verdi was less interested in historical details than in the effective dramaturgy offered by the triangular constellation between Riccardo, his best friend Renato and his wife Amelia. The emotional drama that takes place in the middle act between Riccardo and his friend's wife is one of the most sensual love scenes Verdi ever wrote – and leads to the fiercest jealousy from Renato, who then joins a gang of conspirators. Verdi wanted to stage his new opera – originally with King Gustav as the title figure – in Naples, but the subject matter was targeted by censors. Showing a regicide on stage was simply impossible in the politically turbulent Italy of the 19th century. In the end, the opera was staged in Rome in 1859, in a historically altered setting. General Music Director Gianandrea Noseda and stage director Adele Thomas devote themselves to Verdi’s score of contrasts, which oscillates between masquerade frivolity and deeply felt melodrama. Tenor Charles Castronovo, who has already sung this role at the New York Met, is Riccardo. Italian soprano Erika Grimaldi makes her debut as Amelia.

EPSG:4326

Un ballo in Maschera

Opernhaus Zürich

The title of the festival inauguration encourages you to surrender to joyful feelings. Why? On the one hand, the Warsaw Sinfonia Varsovia orchestra continues its jubilee series of concerts to celebrate its 40th anniversary, on the other hand, the reason for celebration is the unique coincidence of three anniversaries at the turn of April and May. It is worth recalling that the new orchestral ensemble under the baton of Lord Yehudi Menuhin was constituted in the last days of April 1984. May 7 marks the bicentenary of the premiere of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, one of the most important works in the history of music, whose final movement, Ode to Joy, outlines an innovative democratic project. Finally, May 1 marks 20 years since Poland's accession to the European Union.

Oh, Joy! Inauguration Of The Sinfonia Varsovia Festival In Your City

Aida

What could be a better start to Lent than a spectacular performance of Verdi's Requiem? Star conductor Gianandrea Noseda and the Zurich Opera Orchestra are a well-rehearsed team in the pit, using their sensitivity for dramatic situations to bring this operatic work to its full impact. They are supported not only by the collective large choir but also by a line-up of soloists of international caliber.

Verdi: Requiem Mass / Gianandrea Noseda

Elbphilharmonie Hamburg

Step into a world of passion, tragedy, and deception with Puccini’s Il trittico, a trio of one-act operas led by world-renowned opera conductor Gianandrea Noseda. Il tabarro unveils a shadowy tale of love and betrayal along the Seine. Suor Angelica plunges into the depths of sacrifice behind convent walls. Gianni Schicchi turns deception into delight in a sharp-witted comedy of intrigue. Three stories, three distinct worlds—one unforgettable evening of Opera in Concert.

Mezzo-soprano

Agnieszka Rehlis

Events

Upcoming events

Mar 31, 2026

Verdi: Requiem Mass / Gianandrea Noseda · Elbphilharmonie

Apr 29 - May 1, 2026

Opera in Concert: Puccini’s Il trittico · National Symphony Orchestra

Past events

8 - 12 Mar, 2026

Passenger · Polish National Opera

Feb 7, 2026

The Wooden Prince · London Philharmonic Orchestra

Future and recently performed repertoire

Amneris in Aida by Verdi

Savonlinna Opera Festival

Singer in Rustic Suite by Kaprálová

London Philharmonic Orchestra

Singer in The Wooden Prince by Bartók

London Philharmonic Orchestra

Singer in Stabat Mater by Szymanowski

London Philharmonic Orchestra

Singer in Il trittico by Puccini

National Symphony Orchestra

Singer in Waving Farewell by Kaprálová

London Philharmonic Orchestra

Lisa in The Passenger by Weinberg

Polish National Opera

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