Four young, self-proclaimed artists – Rodolfo, Marcello, Schaunard and Colline - enjoy a carefree life in their Parisian garret. Although none of them are getting anywhere with their art, their creativity knows no bounds when it comes to mastering everyday life. Until one day when the neighbour Mimì knocks on their door and brings something completely new into their lives: love, honesty, responsibility. Rodolfo falls in love with Mimì; however, they do not stay together for long, as life moves on. Yet Mimì is terminally ill and cannot simply slip out of Rodolfo’s life again. “La Bohème” captures the entire fullness of life, comedy as well as tragedy, and is a declaration of love to the vibrant city of Paris.

La Bohème

Cologne Opera

"The success was tremendous and unprecedented! Critics, artists, amateurs and music lovers were intoxicated ... The auditorium roared apart, loudly proclaiming the new miracle." Thus a report on the premiere in 1821 at the Berlin Schauspielhaus. Der Freischütz struck a chord with the times, every barrel organ played the "Jungfernkranz", every street singer performed it, as Heine reports. Weber had discovered the material in an old ghost book. The story of the hunter Max, who devotes himself to the devil in order to win his bride, touches on people's primal fears. The forest, the epitome of the "German soul", becomes a battleground between good and evil. Weber's music depicts the plight and despair of the people with gripping emotionality; the hope of a happy ending is evoked with fervor. Romantic drama and folk play in one, Der Freischütz is set somewhere between dream and nightmare, fascinating to this day.

EPSG:4326

Der Freischütz

Staatsoper Hamburg

Disaster looms over the ruling house of Mycenae. Since Agamemnon was killed by his wife Klytaemnestra, ever new sacrifices have been made. But peace does not return, especially not for the children. Orest has gone missing, Chrysothemis wants a family of her own, but Elektra pursues only one thought: revenge for her father. “The times are strange”, wrote the poet Hugo von Hofmannsthal around 1900, “and they have strange children: us!” He observes “people who were fractured”, who had lost their unity. With irrationality, delusion and “mysteriously aroused nature”, the writer poetically describes what Sigmund Freud was soon to describe psychoanalytically as a sign of the times.

Elektra

Staatenhaus Köln

Cologne on a carnival Sunday in the golden age of the 1920s. After a wild carnival party on the "Schäl Sick", a man is left hungover and in a bat costume. He is the current carnival prince - the victim of a joke by a friend from Düsseldorf. To make matters worse, someone has leaked an unflattering photograph of the bat to a gossip magazine and so the Cologne public - and his fiancée - find out about the prince's escapades and the festival committee immediately strips him of his carnival honors. This calls for revenge. The dethroned prince joins forces with some ladies from Cologne society and hatches a plan. In extravagant apartments, on the street, in a nightclub, on the banks of the Rhine and in the legendary Klingelpütz prison, a fast-paced story of mistaken identities unfolds, full of situational comedy, wordplay and lots of music. With the typical Cologne divertissement, the Cäcilia Wolkenburg offers a “world premiere” of a genuine Cologne musical every year. With catchy music, specially arranged choral pieces, new ballet choreographies and the full enthusiasm of the ensemble of around one hundred players, each divertissement promises the best entertainment. For the anniversary of Cäcilia Wolkenburg in 2024, the audience and the press were full of praise: "storms of applause" (KStA, January 15, 2024), "spectacular" (Kölnische Rundschau January 14, 2024), "great cinema" (Express, January 15, 2024). In 2025, "et Zillche" will show a new version of "Die Fledermaus" and bring - as always with a good dose of humor and in Rhenish dialect - a very unique version of the operetta classic by Johann Strauss (son) to the stage.

De Kölsche Fledermaus

He is probably the most famous playboy of all time: Don Giovanni. According to his servant Leporello, he has seduced 1,003 women in Spain alone. But who is Don Giovanni really? “Chi son io tu non saprai”, seems to be his answer to Donna Anna at the start of the opera, after he has tried to win her over by force. “You’ll never know who I am.” Indeed, his character defies any precise definition; he always remains changeable and unpredictable. Because Don Giovanni is a character without any consciousness. He is the principle that raises human questions about good and evil, desire and duty, transgression and punishment.

Don Giovanni

Carmen is independent and won’t let anyone take her freedom. She makes her own decisions - nobody else! Carmen loves life. She lives entirely in the present, not in the past or the future. Carmen’s love has wings: when she loves someone, it is for precisely that moment and not for all eternity - her interest might turn to someone else the very next moment. Carmen quarrels and fights, she doesn’t shy away from the criminal milieu either, because property or standards of any kind don’t exist for her.

Carmen

The Principality of Silistria is highly coveted. Two European countries are vying for a trade agreement: Hungary and Turkey. But Silistria only wants to choose one partner. While the Hungarian ambassador Count Géza von Tököli is already courting the favour of the Silistrian Princess Petra, everyone is eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Turkish ambassador. The latter’s appearance ultimately exceeds all expectations because, as it turns out, Turkey’s diplomat is a woman: Dschilli Bey! Gender clichés and cultural prejudices are now turned upside down and thoroughly shaken up. A competitive struggle full of intrigue, mistaken identities and surprising twists and turns ensues. Who comes out on top? See for yourself!

Eine Frau von Format

Astor Piazzolla was the king of Argentinian tango nuevo. From the 1950s onwards, he combined the old tango from the bars and streets of Buenos Aires with influences from classical and modern music, jazz and pop, adding sharp rhythms, unusual sound combinations and striking chords to create entirely new forms of expression that go far beyond the boundaries of pure dance music. The focus was always on the special character of the bandoneon, originally an instrument from the Rhineland, which only really became famous through Piazzolla’s tangos.

María de Buenos Aires

Power, love and intrigue prevail in ancient Egypt, as no fewer than three ruling houses are entangled in the country’s political turmoil: following the defeat of Giulio Cesare, his adversary Pompeo has fled to Egypt with his wife Cornelia and his son Sesto. However, King Tolomeo has Pompeo murdered immediately in order to hand Pompeo’s head to Cesare on his arrival. However, the “gift” misses its mark: Cesare is dismayed by so much malice. Cornelia and Sesto swear revenge on Tolomeo. Cleopatra, Tolomeo’s sister, also tries to win favour with Cesare. Tolomeo’s power threatens to crumble and the battle for the throne unfolds...

Andreas Grüter

Events

Upcoming events

Dec 22, 2024 - Jan 15, 2025

La Bohème · Oper Köln

Feb 1 - Mar 4, 2025

De Kölsche Fledermaus · Oper Köln

Mar 9 - Apr 6, 2025

Don Giovanni · Oper Köln

Mar 23 - Apr 13, 2025

Carmen · Oper Köln

May 11 - Jun 4, 2025

Eine Frau von Format · Oper Köln

Past events

Dec 22, 2024 - Jan 15, 2025

La Bohème · Oper Köln

Nov 17 - Dec 5, 2024

Der Freischütz · Staatsoper Hamburg

About

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