Lighting Designer

The depths of love are the subject of almost all of Mozart's operas – but none as exclusively as in "Così fan tutte." Ferrando and Guglielmo are convinced that their fiancées, Dorabella and Fiordiligi, are faithful to them. The men enter into a bet with Don Alfonso, who intends to prove them wrong with an experiment. But what begins as a harmless game turns into a cruel open-heart experiment... Kirill Serebrennikov's production is radically contemporary; Roberto González-Monjas, chief conductor of the Musikkollegium Winterthur, guides the audience through Mozart's brilliant yet ambiguous score.

That's what they all do

Zurich Opera House

Don Alfonso explains to Guglielmo and Ferrando that it is quite possible that their fiancés Dorabella and Fiordiligi could be unfaithful - as all women are.

Così fan tutte

Vienna State Opera

"Luisa Miller" is Giuseppe Verdi’s third setting of a play by Friedrich Schiller. “It is a great drama, full of passion and very effective in theatrical terms,” the composer wrote to the librettist Salvadore Cammarano about “Kabale und Liebe”...

Luisa Miller

Hamburg State Opera

In the middle of his career, Giuseppe Verdi with «created one of his most diverse scores». Embedded in effective ensemble scenes that oscillate between operetta-like, mysterious oracular magic and dark conspiracy drama, Verdi focuses on the private fate of a politician: Riccardo, the governor of Boston, is in love with Amelia, the wife of his best friend and advisor Renato. When the two are discovered during a passionate nocturnal encounter, Renato joins the conspirators and discovers Riccardo's disguise at the masked ball.

A Masked Ball

In order to free her husband Florestan, Leonore disguises herself as a male prison guard and sneaks into a prison. Beethoven’s only opera is infused with an unwavering belief in the power of hope. The powerful liberation music at the end anticipates the «Ode to Joy» from his Ninth Symphony. Andreas Homoki separates the plot from its bourgeois comic light opera context, focusing instead on the utopian idea of world brotherhood and the universal themes of humanity that Beethoven chose as his central focus. Klaus Florian Vogt, one of the most outstanding tenors of our time, will appear as Florestan.

Fidelio

The male alliance of the Knights of the Grail is in crisis. Time and again, knights desert to the opposite realm of the sorcerer Klingsor, who had previously been rejected by the circle of knights.

Parsifal

A domineering linguistics professor transforms a rough-and-tumble flower seller into a refined lady—what a romance! And as a musical, it’s been an unmatched success, enchanting audiences worldwide for nearly seventy years, thanks to Shaw’s brilliant story and Loewe’s unforgettable melodies.

My Fair Lady

Schiller Theater

Luisa, the daughter of the veteran Miller, is in love with a young hunter who has come to her village with the arrival of the new feudal lord. But Wurm, the castle steward, is also in love with Luisa. He reveals the true identity of the supposed huntsman to her father: It is Rodolfo, the feudal lord's son, which makes a marriage with Luisa impossible for reasons of status. Rodolfo wants to fight for his love, but he and Luisa fall into the trap of the intriguing and corrupt court society.

In the midst of the French Revolution, a group of nuns fight for their self-determination, their faith and against the fear of death.

Dialogues des Carmélites

Semperoper Dresden

Nabucco

San Carlo Theatre

This opera’s 1875 premiere in Paris caused a scandal, after the title character’s anarchic nature and lustful femininity disturbed the bourgeois audience’s sensibilities. But Bizet’s opera soon began its triumphal march, becoming a myth of modern times. To this day, «Carmen» fascinates audiences with its relentless drama and the elemental power of its melodies. Andreas Homoki’s production pays homage to the place where the opera was created, the Opéra comique in Paris. 

Carmen

Don Basilio pesters Susanna with his intercession for the Count, Marcellina wants to sue for the old marriage contract with Figaro and Doctor Bartolo supports her, also out of old anger against Figaro. And then there is the page Cherubino, who is in love with all the women and whom all the women want to have around, preferably disguised as a girl ... Only with the combined forces of Figaro's imagination, Susanna's cleverness and the support of the betrayed countess can this "great day" be brought to a happy end.

Le nozze di Figaro

With stunning natural imagery and attention to every detail, Barrie Kosky presents Tchaikovsky’s soulful drama about the hopes, longings, and failures of four young people who come to realize in the end that happiness was almost within reach.

Eugene Onegin

The «Japanese tragedy» by Giacomo Puccini shows how the American naval officer Pinkerton embraces Japanese culture, marrying Cio-Cio-San, a young geisha, for the duration of his stay. When he later returns with his «real» wife to take the child he had with Cio-Cio-San back to his homeland, the young woman is left with only one way out. With his ambitious composition, Puccini combined Eastern and Western motifs, producing one of his most successful operas at the start of the 20th century. Director Ted Huffman brings the opera to the stage in stunningly beautiful images and with great narrative tension.

Madama Butterfly

When Don Giovanni tries to escape his pursuers and conceal his deeds, things get dicey. But in the end, he is called to account by a supernatural force and dragged to hell, while everyone else reflects on the transience of power and the justice of fate. The opera is a captivating portrayal of love, seduction, revenge and moral responsibility.

Don Giovanni

In 1983, a cry of freedom rang out from Broadway to London and Berlin, heralding the triumph of a musical insisting on the right to a brightly coloured life outside of narrow-minded conventionality.

La Cage aux Folles

A bet is made and Don Alfonso hires Despina, Fiordiligi and Dorabella's employee, to help with the intrigue. In disguise, the men finally succeed in seducing each other's fiancée. After Don Alfonso and Despina have broken up the intrigue, it is left to the four young lovers to deal with the consequences of the story.

A young woman who desires her own father and is transformed into a tree. A young man who loves himself so much that he fails to notice the advances of a nymph who ultimately exists only as a voice. A goddess who transforms her rival into a spider because of her flawless weaving skills. A man whose statue of a woman perfect for him comes to life. A legendary singer whose return his beloved awaits in the underworld.

Hotel Metamorphosis

House for Mozart

Opéra-fantastique in five acts by Jacques Offenbach (1819-1880)
Libretto by Jules Paul Barbier after the drame fantastique of the same name
by Barbier and Michel Florentin Carré

EPSG:4326

Les Contes d’Hoffmann

Opernhaus Zürich

Elias

Musikdrama in one act by Richard Strauss (1864-1949)
after Oscar Wilde’s play of the same name

Salome

Romantic opera in three acts by Richard Wagner (1813-1883)
Libretto by the composer

Lohengrin

In 1983, a cry for liberation resounded from Broadway to London and Berlin, heralding the triumph of a musical that demanded the right to a colorful life beyond stingy pettiness.

Georges runs the nightclub "La Cage aux Folles". The absolute star is his partner, the drag queen Zaza alias Albin. Then Jean-Michel, Georges' son from a previous relationship, shows up: he wants to marry Anne, the daughter of an ultra-conservative family, and, to Albin's great disappointment, asks Georges to go alone to the first meeting with the family. Albin is deeply hurt. But he insists on having dinner together in Jacqueline's restaurant...
Jerry Herman created a classic of the musical genre with an empowerment anthem that gave not only the queer scene the strength to fight for more openness and justice. Directed by Barrie Kosky, the piece becomes an ever-valid plea for the courage to stand up for yourself and for each other!

Director Adele Thomas’ production interprets this rich story of desire and an all-consuming curse. 

Il trovatore

Royal Opera House

Dramma lirico in four acts by Giacomo Puccini (1858–1924)
Libretto by Domenico Oliva, Luigi Illica and others

Manon Lescaut

Opera in two acts by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827)
Libretto by Joseph Ferdinand Sonnleithner and Georg Friedrich Treitschke

Drame-lyrique in 5 acts by Charles Gounod (1818-1893)
Libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré
after the tragedy by William Shakespeare

Roméo et Juliette

Tragedia giapponese in two acts by Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924)
Libretto by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica
after Pierre Loti, John Luther Long and David Belasco

«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.

Un ballo in Maschera

Opera in two acts by Jonathan Dove (*1959) for children from age 7 and up and the eternally young
based on the novel of the same name by Jules Verne, Libretto by Peter Lund
Commission of the Opernhaus Zürich

In 80 Tagen um die Welt

Finnish soprano Camilla Nylund thrilled as Brünnhilde in the new Zurich Ring des Nibelungen, and now she returns to Zurich as Senta. Her stage partner here is Tomasz Koniezcny, who will sing the title role in this revival and who celebrated his own triumph in the Zurich Ring when he took the stage as Wotan. General Music Director Gianandrea Noseda, meanwhile, showed with the Zurich Ring that he is a fantastic Wagner conductor. He now takes over the musical direction of this revival production.

Der fliegende Holländer

"Luisa Miller" is Giuseppe Verdi’s third setting of a play by Friedrich Schiller. “It is a great drama, full of passion and very effective in theatrical terms,” the composer wrote to the librettist Salvadore Cammarano about Kabale und Liebe. In order to conform to the expectations of the censors and audience, Verdi first had to reduce the play to a libretto suitable for opera, moving the focus from Schiller’s political tale to the family drama. In his opera, first performed in Naples in 1849, Verdi produced outstanding character studies of all his protagonists. In this work he laid the foundation for many “Verdi types” of later years, e.g. Iago, Giorgio Germont, Aida or Desdemona. Luisa Miller was first performed in Hamburg at the Hamburg State Opera in 1981 in a new production conducted by Giuseppe Sinopoli and directed by Luciano Damiani, who also designed the sets and costumes at the time.

Staatsoper Hamburg

Zurich Opera presents Giuseppe Verdi’s stunning opera, A Masked Ball, filled with desire, treachery and political peril.

Verdi’s A Masked Ball

Festival Theatre Edinburgh

After meeting for the first time, the two are in love. Surprisingly, the Spanish King Philip II announces that he wants to marry Elisabeth himself. Elisabeth complies for reasons of state. The liberal Marquis Posa advises his desperate friend Don Carlo to become politically active for a better future for Flanders. However, this puts Don Carlo and Posa in dangerous opposition to the overpowering Grand Inquisitor.

Don Carlo

Figaro and Susanna want to marry, but their wedding day turns into chaos: Count Almaviva stalks Susanna, while Basilio schemes on his behalf.

This is no ordinary fox! Composer Leoš Janáček tells the story of a young fox, trapped by the forester as a cub. She makes a dramatic escape in search of what a wild animal’s life should be, including hunting, true love, and always looking over your shoulder. Australian director Barrie Kosky’s bold and glitzy new production brings vibrant theatricality to this classic story.

The Cunning Little Vixen

Winspear Opera House

A bottle labeled "Drink me!" that shrinks you, a cake that makes you grow immeasurably after you eat it, a Mad Hatter who celebrates his unbirthday 364 days a year – these and many other curious adventures await Alice after she follows a rabbit and falls down a hole. Is it all really just a dream? Lewis Carroll's classic children's book has captivated generations of theater and filmmakers, including the Italian composer Pierangelo Valtinoni. His poetic music, as well as Nadja Loschky's imaginative and fast-paced direction, thrilled audiences at the Zurich premiere.

Alice in Wonderland

Max loves to read. Now a book written over 150 years ago has captivated him: In 80 Tagen um die Welt by Jules Verne, known in English as Around the World in 80 Days. Not even Max’s girlfriend Josi can keep him from his reading, even though she feels he can’t escape into his own world in his attic forever. After all, reality is exciting enough, he should go with her to the important demonstration! Yet Max gets so lost in his book that the characters suddenly come to life and he takes on a key role in the story: Phileas Fogg, the eccentric English gentleman, takes on Max as his servant. Fogg has spent half of his assets to circumnavigate the world in 80 days. Nowadays that would be no problem, but it was a huge undertaking 150 years ago. Max, now named Passepartout, joins Fogg on an adventure into the past, visiting the Egyptian pyramids, India, Hong Kong and ultimately America. Sometimes they travel by train, other times by ship, even by elephant… Yet Detective Fix, who believes Fogg to be a wanted bank robber, is hot on their trail. Fortunately, Fogg is aided not just by Max a.k.a. Passepartout, but also by the very clever Aouda, who ensures that the constantly cool and collected Fogg suddenly shows emotions… This world-famous story that has often found itself on the big screen inspired English composer Jonathan Dove to craft a score that crosses the globe. Peter Lund wrote the libretto and is directing the piece. The result is a fast-paced family opera that takes a new, tongue-in-cheek perspective of a fascinating tale. We are looking forward to presenting a new opera for the whole family on the big stage at Deutsche Oper Berlin.

Around the World in 80 Days

Deutsche Oper Berlin

But Wurm, the castle steward, is also in love with Luisa. He reveals the true identity of the supposed huntsman to her father: It is Rodolfo, the feudal lord's son, which makes a marriage with Luisa impossible for reasons of status. Rodolfo wants to fight for his love, but he and Luisa fall into the trap of the intriguing and corrupt court society.

With "Das Rheingold," Richard Wagner opens his monumental "Ring of the Nibelung": a mythological world theater about power, love, and the loss of innocence. Whoever renounces love gains power. This fateful law draws both Alberich and the god Wotan into the spell of the cursed ring. From the famous depths of E-flat major, a world unfolds between idyllic nature and moral decay. Andreas Homoki's successful production returns under the musical direction of Gianandrea Noseda. Michael Volle sings Wotan.

Das Rheingold

A prominent Mozart opera. This opera buffa masterpiece unfolds around the story of the Count and the Countessa Almaviva, their servant Figaro, Figaro's betrothed Susanna and the count's page Cherubino.

Le Nozze di Figaro

New National Theatre

With "Manon Lescaut," Giacomo Puccini established a series of tragic female figures in whom passionate devotion and existential despair are intertwined. In four large, cinematically edited scenes, he depicts the stages of the title character's life: her intoxicating love for the student Des Grieux, a life in luxurious Parisian society, and finally, exile and death in an American desert. Director Barrie Kosky underscores the fleeting nature of this life by presenting the narrative as a continuous, feverish journey: Death is already on the coachman's seat at Manon and Des Grieux's first encounter. Following her acclaimed Tosca, soprano Sonya Yoncheva returns to the Zurich Opera House as Manon.

"Die Walküre" takes us from the mythical realm of the gods into the world of men: Siegmund and Sieglinde are consumed by a forbidden love that defies all laws and threatens to undermine Wotan's power plan. In his conflict with Fricka, the father of the gods recognizes his hero's lack of freedom and sacrifices him. Brünnhilde's defiance is severely punished: Wotan puts her into a deep sleep and encircles her with a ring of fire that only a fearless hero can traverse. With the "Ride of the Valkyries" and the "Magic Fire," the music of "Die Walküre" contains some of the most famous passages of the "Ring." Camilla Nylund and Eric Cutler sing Brünnhilde and Siegmund in this continuation of the Zurich "Ring" interpretation by Andreas Homoki and Gianandrea Noseda.

The Valkyrie

Romeo and Juliet are outsiders in a world of rigid social conventions. In Charles Gounod's French opera, they meet at a ball: Juliet introduces herself with a lively waltz aria, while Romeo has slipped in with friends. From this fleeting moment blossoms love at first sight – and the beginning of a story as passionate as it is fateful. American director Ted Huffman focuses on the essentials, setting the action on a simple dance floor. In doing so, he once again proves himself a "delicate observer of gestures, moods, and glances" (NZZ). The young Armenian soprano Juliana Grigoryan and the star tenor Juan Diego Flórez embody the lovers.

Romeo and Juliet

With the help of seductive women, above all Kundry, he succeeds in bringing down the knights. He is even able to tempt Amfortas, King of the Grail, into a misstep. He steals his sacred spear and strikes him with an incurable wound. As a result, Amfortas' ritual duty of unveiling the Grail has become an ordeal. Only a pure fool is destined to undo the Grail King's fall from grace and reverse its devastating consequences.

With its subject, taken over from the German collection of ghost stories Gespensterbuch (Book of Spectres), and its dramatic music, Carl Maria von Weber’s Der Freischütz  (The Marksman) is a quintessentially Romantic piece, deemed one of the first, and most renowned, Romantic operas.

Der Freischütz (The Marksman)

State Opera

The aging and headstrong Don Pasquale dreams of marrying a young woman. But his supposed bride turns out to be a cunning schemer: the self-assured Norina and the shady Dottor Malatesta play a cruel trick on the old man, a blend of comedy and hurt. "Don Pasquale" is one of Gaetano Donizetti's last operas. This dramma buffo showcases the composer's mastery and keen understanding of human nature, written shortly before the tragic end of his life. Director Christof Loy presents Donizetti's classic beyond all buffo clichés, with a subtle, bittersweet touch. The title role is sung by Johannes Martin Kränzle, one of the most distinguished character actors of our time.

Don Pasquale

Rodolfo, a young, unsuccessful writer, is seeking inspiration when a young woman unexpectedly appears on his doorstep: Mimì only wants to relight her extinguished candle, but their encounter unfolds one of the most moving love stories in operatic literature. Director Ole Anders Tandberg presents "La bohème" as a poetic fantasy about four provincial artists who dream of great success and suddenly find themselves immersed in the Parisian artistic myth. Giacomo Puccini's score unites some of his most famous arias and touches the audience with undiminished emotional power. Anna Netrebko will sing the role of Mimì in several performances.

Lighting Designer

Franck Evin

Events

Upcoming events

Jun 13, 2026 - Apr 29, 2027

Così fan tutte · Wiener Staatsoper

26 - 30 Aug, 2026

Verdi’s A Masked Ball · Edinburgh International Festival

4 - 16 Sep, 2026

Don Carlo · Wiener Staatsoper

Sep 9, 2026 - Jun 14, 2027

Le nozze di Figaro · Wiener Staatsoper

Oct 30 - Nov 7, 2026

The Cunning Little Vixen · Dallas Opera

Past events

3 - 12 Jul, 2026

That's what they all do · Opernhaus Zürich

Jun 13, 2026 - Apr 29, 2027

Così fan tutte · Wiener Staatsoper

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