2024 marks the 100th anniversary of the death of Gabriel Fauré. In his day, he was a highly estimated composer of Kunstlieder (art songs) and chamber music, as well as being the Director of the Conservatoire de Paris. His works can now be found in larger instrumentation arrangements on international programmes, and his Requiem in particular. His only opera, Pénélope, will now be performed for the first time at the Bayerische Staatsoper. The plot follows the final chants from Homer’s Odyssey, now a proverb as the eponymous hero’s years of wandering to reach his homeland, Ithaca, after the Trojan War. The opera revolves around his wife, Pénélope, who for years has successfully fought off the machinations of power-hungry men, who seek to usurp the throne of her given up for lost husband, Odysseus. With chamber musical transparency and the use of key themes inspired by Richard Wagner, the composer created a score in which the orchestra is applied thoroughly symphonically, where the human voice’s lyrical melodic expression and comprehensibility of text are front and centre. Director Andrea Breth addresses the question as to whether a reuniting of the regal couple, Pénélope and Odysseus (Ulysses), after years of separation can run harmoniously or must also endure disaffection and alienation.

Pénélope

Prinzregententheater

EPSG:4326

Sir Simon Rattle & Katia und Marielle Labèque

Joseph-Keilberth-Saal

Munich Residence

When composer Alban Berg saw Georg Büchner’s fragmentary theatre text performed in 1914, it inspired him to create an absolute masterpiece. Raw and unfiltered, Wozzeck shows us the dehumanization of a vulnerable individual who craves recognition and connection but is systematically rejected and abused.

Rinat Shaham

Events

Upcoming events

8 - 22 Nov, 2026

Wozzeck · La Monnaie / De Munt

Past events

18 - 29 Jul, 2025

Pénélope · Bayerische Staatsoper

3 - 5 Oct, 2024

Sir Simon Rattle & Katia und Marielle Labèque · Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra

Future and recently performed repertoire

Margaret in Wozzeck by Berg

La Monnaie / De Munt

About

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