Singer

In a village community that holds firm to archaic customs, the young hunter Max must pass a marksmanship test so he may marry his sweetheart, Agathe. Of all times now when his shooting has been very much below par! Carl Maria von Weber and his librettist Friedrich Kind fluctuate between ghost story, fairy tale, fortune play and interplay between heaven and hell. The plot centres around a diabolical ritual in the “Wolf's Glen”, where a pact is made with Samiel to cast magic bullets that never miss their target. Its composer declared that the opera was celebrated by its world premiere audience in Berlin in 1821 with the, “most incredible enthusiasm”. In the decades that followed, the piece, at the time considered nature-oriented and traditional-romantic, swiftly became one of the most performed operas on German stages. And little wonder it was: In an age with a popular yearning for cultural, national identification opportunities, Der Freischütz offered a projection surface for an ideal community. So what about this opera appeals to director Dmitri Tcherniakov today?

Der Freischütz

Max-Joseph-Platz

The two closely related powerful women, whose graves now lie right beside each other in London’s Westminster Abbey, were “Of One Blood”, so of the same blood. Both were of course as conceivably far apart as possible during their lives. Elizabeth I ruled for almost half a century as Queen of England and Ireland, while Mary Stuart reigned over Scotland for a quarter of a century. A bitter power struggle between the Protestant hegemony and the Catholic opposition and ultimately the pressure of parliament forced the English Queen to have Mary Stuart executed.

Of One Blood

Neither balsam, nor medicinal herbs can provide relief to the wounded and ailing Amfortas, ruler of the Grail kingdom. His path to recovery proves to be a complex one. No member of the Grail community can reclaim the spear which inflicted the wound, but only an outsider, a “pure fool”, enlightened by compassion. Only by the tip of this spear touching Amfortas’s wound can he be healed. On his journey of self-discovery, towards his destiny as chosen deliverer, Parsifal is accompanied, not only by the skilful Grail Knight Gurnemanz, but also by the enigmatic and seductive Kundry, who opens his eyes to sensuality and extrasensory experience.

Parsifal

Dressed as a man and calling herself “Fidelio”, Leonore surreptitiously gains the confidence of the jailer Rocco and his daughter Marzelline, thus gaining access to the high security tract where her husband Florestan has been despotically incarcerated by Don Pizarro. Florestan is in mortal danger, but this does not intimidate his wife, who is determined to liberate him. Finally, however, the two of them can only be rescued by an emissary from the monarch. At the end, a Utopia in the form of a final chorus sets the stage aglow, not only as a plea for freedom and justice, but also concurrently as a condemnation of the anxieties and restrictions of human existence.

Fidelio

Jerusalem and Babylon at the time of Neubchadnezzar around 578 B.C. were the setting of Verdi’s early work, Nabucco. But the Biblical epic about power, love and religion is certainly more than a mere historical drama that might have served as a Hollywood blockbuster, and which places the most stringent demands on the soloists, chorus and stage machinery. Human conflicts are expressed here in highly emotional music and leave an indelible mark, to the present day, on this first, genuinely major operatic success by composer Giuseppe Verdi. Nabucco, the work with the famous prisoners’ chorus “Va pensiero” (“Fly, thought, on golden wings!”), the best-known hymn to freedom ever composed, is a must – and not just for Verdi fans.

Nabucco

Barrie Kosky affords the “operetta of all operettas” a new look and focuses on its morbid side. The scene is Vienna, city of the golden operetta era, where Die Fledermaus celebrated its world premiere at the Theater an der Wien in 1874. The revenge of the bat becomes a nightmare for Gabriel von Eisenstein and many others. A society, an entire city dances towards the abyss. To take revenge on his friend Eisenstein, Dr Falke, alias the bat, orchestrates a misunderstanding with Prince Orlofsky. A marquis and a chevalier, a countess and budding artists meet here for a raucous party. Glasses clink, relationships are strained, there is loving, lying and dancing. They party ‘til the cows come home, always believing: “Happy are those who forget ...”

Die Fledermaus

In Das Rheingold, the “eve” of Richard Wagner’s operatic tetralogy, Der Ring des Nibelungen, the course is set for the apocalypse. It will be unleashed by two entirely opposing worldviews exploding into one another. The tragedy of Alberich, who, being mortal, believes he must take everything within his own lifetime. And the drama of Wotan, who in his, real or illusory, immortality must recognise the emptiness and sameness of being eternal.

Das Rheingold

“From Bohemia to the end of the world” – that's how one could articulate the successful artistic career of tenor Petr Nekoranec, who made his debut in South Africa in August 2024 while in March 2025 he will travel to Brisbane, Australia to make his debut in the Queensland opera house as Don Ramiro in Rossini’s La cenerentola. Petr was born in Nové Dvory by the City of Polná, studied singing in Pardubice, Munich, and New York, performed in Berlin, Munich, Stuttgart, Bayreuth, Florence, Teatro Real in Madrid, Warsaw, São Paulo, Brazil, etc. He is also a popular guest of French opera houses such as the Théâtre du Capitole v Toulouse a Opéra national de Lorraine v Nancy. In July 2024 he made his debut at the famous festival in Aix-en-Provence. He is a soloist at the National Theatre Opera, where he added his first ever Rodolfo in Puccini's La bohème in the 2024/25 season to the roaster of his many beautiful roles.

Petr Nekoranec and guests: Night at the Castle

Castle Courtyard, Polná

Once the best marksman in the world, Max is on a losing streak. A single shot will determine his betrothal to Agathe – a much too important matter to leave to chance. At midnight in the Wolf’s Glen, Max, aided by the evil Casper, casts seven magic bullets which never miss their target, thus sealing a pact with the devil. Following the work’s premiere in 1821, Carl Maria von Weber proclaimed: »I’ve hit the hit the bullseye«. Soon »Der Freischütz« became regarded as the romantic German opera par excellence. Weber’s music reproduces the beauty of the German forest as well as its nighttime eeriness to create an atmosphere of uncertainty, doubt and fear. In his production, director Axel Köhler not only describes the fate of a young man driven to extremes by a fear of failure, but also paints the image of a society which, having lost its bearings, seeks stability in ritual and hierarchy. 

Der Freischütz Carl Maria von Weber

Semperoper Dresden

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.

EPSG:4326

The Cunning Little Vixen

Winspear Opera House

Though buried side by side in Westminster Abbey, Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots — cousins “of one blood” — never met in life. Their intertwined reigns ignited a ruthless clash of faith and power that ended in Mary’s execution by Elizabeth’s command.

Soprano

Mirjam Mesak

Events

Upcoming events

Oct 30 - Nov 7, 2026

The Cunning Little Vixen · Dallas Opera

Jul 31 - Aug 26, 2027

Of One Blood · Santa Fe Opera

Past events

26 - 29 Jul, 2026

Der Freischütz · Bayerische Staatsoper

May 10 - Jun 29, 2026

Of One Blood · Bayerische Staatsoper

Future and recently performed repertoire

Ann in Der Freischütz by Weber

Bayerische Staatsoper

Singer in Don Pasquale by Donizetti

Prague Philharmonia

The Vixen in The Cunning Little Vixen by Janáček

Dallas Opera

Anna in Nabucco by Verdi

Bayerische Staatsoper

Adele in Die Fledermaus by Strauss

Bayerische Staatsoper

Marzelline in Fidelio by Beethoven

Bayerische Staatsoper

Singer in L’Elisir d’Amore by Donizetti

Prague Philharmonia

Singer in Il Barbiere di Siviglia by Rossini

Prague Philharmonia

Female Consort 2 in Of One Blood by Dean

Santa Fe Opera

Female Courtier II in Of One Blood by Dean

Bayerische Staatsoper

Klingsor's Magic Girl in Parsifal by Wagner

Bayerische Staatsoper

Singer in Largo al factotum (Figaro) by Olivieri

Prague Philharmonia

Singer in Al idea di quel metallo (Figaro & Almaviva) by Olivieri

Prague Philharmonia

Singer in Quel guardo, il cavaliere... So anch’io la virtù magica (Norina) by Mesak

Prague Philharmonia

Singer in E il dottor non si vede... Pronta io son by Mesak

Prague Philharmonia

Singer in Una furtiva lagrima (Nemorino) by Nekoranec

Prague Philharmonia

Singer in Come Paride vezzoso (Belcore) by Olivieri

Prague Philharmonia

Singer in Caro elisir (Nemorino & Adina) by Nekoranec

Prague Philharmonia

About

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