They're crazy, the men! While the violinist Orpheus is absorbed in his profession and escapes into an affair to distract himself from his unfulfilled marriage to his wife Eurydice, the underworld god Pluto takes a liking to her and steals her into his realm under the guise of her lover Aristeus. He's rid of her, Orpheus rejoices! Later, the underworld servant Styx and the chief god of Olympus, Jupiter, scent their chances with Eurydice. And the women? Well, Jupiter's wife Juno immediately blames her husband for everything, and Eurydice has fun elsewhere until she becomes the plaything of the suitors. At least the personified public opinion is stepping up to the plate and putting them in their place. But Eurydice is fed up anyway and would rather have a drink with the Bacchantes. Cheers!

Orpheus in the Underworld

Oper Leipzig

EPSG:4326

Orpheus in the Underworld - in concert

Men are crazy! While the violinist Orpheus immerses himself in his work and escapes into an affair to distract himself from his unfulfilled marriage to his wife Eurydice, the underworld god Pluto takes a liking to her and steals her into his realm – Orpheus is happy to be rid of her! Later, the guardian Styx and the chief god of Olympus, Jupiter, see their chance with Eurydice. And the women? Well, Jupiter’s wife Juno immediately blames her husband for everything, and Eurydice has fun elsewhere until she becomes the plaything of the suitors. At least public opinion is stepping up to the plate and putting the gentlemen in their place. But Eurydice is fed up anyway and would rather have a drink with the Bacchantes. Cheers!

Orpheus in der Unterwelt

Musikalische Komödie

The somnambulistic piece Matsukaze, a reworking of theJapanese Nō theatre material of the Master Zeami from the 15th century, recounts the unhappy love of two sisters, the salt water maidens, Matsukaze and Murasame, for the courtier, Yukihira. When he must leave one day, he promises them he will return, for his longing will call him back. But, he dies. The two sisters are left imprisoned by their yearning, become ghosts, return to the living again and again. Only a monk can help them out of their entrapment. Hosokawa’s composition transforms nature moods into tender, loving sounds, plays with silence, traces the passage of time and non-passage of intimate feelings, madness, the relationship between past, present and future, between the fundamental connection of human existence and nature. The world premiere was celebrated in 2011 at the Opéra La Monnaie in Brussels. For the Bayerische Staatsoper production, the director duo Lotte van den Berg and Tobias Staab will now collaborate for the first time with the visual, internationally active artist, Alicja Kwade.

Matsukaze

Utopia

The Antichrist makes his entrance into a godless world. Sent by Lucifer into the world, he adopts many guises. Mankind is tested and tempted by pride, lust, lies, despondency and hatred in an “all-against-all altercation”. Langgaard’s opera is suffused with fin de siècle atmosphere and pessimism, warning of catastrophe and denouncing the vices of the modern age: egotism, arrogance, frivolity. Langgaard, though, was also an optimist, convinced of the transformative, transcendental power of art and the importance of music as a thread connecting people to the godhead. So it is that the world is freed of all evil and sorrow in the culminating chorus scene in ANTIKRIST.

Antichrist

Deutsche Oper Berlin

If urban planning were a concert, what would the livable city of the future sound like? How does one sing of "bridge renovation" and "transformation," how does one intone "shading strategy"? And which voices herald ecological change? We speak with people from the construction industry and urban development, with economists, futurologists, and activists about the existing plans for a sustainable Cologne—and about the resistance they encounter. From these firsthand accounts emerges a music theater piece by Cologne residents for Cologne, a vocal concert for three actresses, two Cologne choirs, and a city of the future. "For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the one to come," says Johannes Brahms in his "Requiem," which, sung by the Cologne Cathedral Choir, resonates from the crumbling city walls. Director Anna-Sophie Mahler specializes in weaving together research material and music. She became known for her production of "Mittelreich" at the Munich Kammerspiele, which was invited to the Berlin Theatertreffen in 2016. Most recently, her production of Tennessee Williams' "Camino Real" at the Volkstheater Wien, featuring the band Calexico live on stage, was a resounding success.

Annika Lu

Events

Upcoming events

19 - 21 May, 2026

Requiem for a dilapidated bridge · Bühnen Köln

Past events

Sep 27 - Oct 12, 2025

Orpheus in the Underworld · Oper Leipzig

30 - 31 Aug, 2025

Orpheus in the Underworld - in concert · Oper Leipzig

About

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