Krzysztof Penderecki has the ability to build fascinating worlds in his operas. His third work for the stage, The Black Mask, transports the audience into the future, to a Lower Silesian town of Bolkenhain (now: Bolków).

The Black Mask

Teatr Wielki - Polish National Opera

The fool in Nikolaus Lehnhoff’s production of Rigoletto is clad in poisonous green, and equally toxic is his mockery of the gaggle of courtiers around the Duke of Mantua. But emotionally the fool is a mess, constantly worried about his daughter Gilda, whom he jealously shields from the clutches of the Duke, an infamous rake. When Gilda nevertheless falls victim to the Duke, Rigoletto swears bloody vengeance. But the plan backfires … The hugely successful premiere of Rigoletto took place at the Teatro La Fenice in 1851. Giuseppe Verdi created a score which he himself described as ”revolutionary“ in its ground-breaking musical and dramatic intensity. The end result is a deeply shocking work, and perhaps the best opera by the great Italian.

Rigoletto

Semperoper Dresden

In the summer of 1782, in his twenties, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart celebrated his greatest opera success yet. With Die Entführung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio), he composed an enormously significant, pioneering work for the Deutsches Nationalsingspiel that had been founded by the Habsburg emperor Joseph II in Vienna, with inspired music and impressively rendered characters.

Raimund Bauer

Events

Upcoming events

8 - 30 May, 2026

Rigoletto · Semperoper Dresden

Jun 27 - Jul 11, 2026

Die Entführung aus dem Serail · Staatsoper Berlin

Past events

22 - 29 Nov, 2024

The Black Mask · Polish National Opera

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