How terrible must life be if you can’t laugh? Sergei Prokofiev’s opera The Love for Three Oranges is about a king who wishes to help his sick son. But only one thing can cure the malady of the heir to the throne: laughter. While the doctors are trying their luck, Truffaldino and Fata Morgana get into a fight, during which the latter is knocked over.

The Love for Three Oranges

Semperoper Dresden

Pedrillo, his lover Blonde and Konstanze, having been kidnapped by pirates and dragged into the seraglio by the Pasha, Bassa Selim, hope to be rescued. Konstanze’s fiancé Belmonte attempts to free them – but fails. Only the Pasha himself can grant them their freedom. Orientalism and Enlightenment meet colourful costumes and a fairytale backdrop in this production by the Dutch director and stage designer Michiel Dijkemas. In The Abduction from the Seraglio, which premiered in Vienna in 1782, Mozart gathered together numbers that are still some of the most famous in operatic literature such as Konstanze’s aria Martern aller Arten, Blonde’s Welche Wonne, welche Lust, Pedrillo’s Auf zum Kampfe or the exotic Chorus of the Janissaries.

Die Entführung aus dem Serail

A maelstrom of violence is unleashed when love turns to envy, when actions are driven by betrayal and madness. David’s triumph over the giant Goliath comes to an abrupt end when King Saul views the young hero as a rival for the throne. Although Saul does everything in his power to kill David, the latter enjoys divine protection. In the end, Saul himself dies and David takes the crown for himself.

Saul

What would a child’s room say if it could talk? A boy goes on the rampage because he doesn’t want to do his homework; his mother, of course, blows her top. When the child vandalises his room and even torments his beloved cat, things take a surprising turn: suddenly, the mistreated furniture, cups, books and animals start to speak! And the child finds himself in a world in which he is forced to think about others.

Das Kind und der Zauberspuk / L’enfant et les sortilèges

Johann Strauss’s »Die Fledermaus« from 1874 is a masterpiece of Viennese operetta: In order to take revenge on his friend Eisenstein, Dr. Falke (alias Die Fledermaus) stages a game of mistaken identities at Prince Orlofsky’s ball, where the guests include a Marquis and a Chevalier, a Hungarian countess and budding artists. However, nobody is who they claim to be. The masquerade and trickery end with the entire group of partygoers in prison. When the masks finally fall and extramarital shenanigans come to light, Falke’s revenge is complete. This production by Günter Krämer has been delighting Semperoper audiences since 2003 with classic numbers such as the Watch Duet, the Czárdás or Adele’s »Mein Herr Marquis« as well as the witty dialogue, updated with some amusing contemporary references. With diamond-sharp irony amidst the champagne glasses, »Die Fledermaus« is a great evening’s entertainment… and not just at the New Year!

Die Fledermaus

How terrible must life be if you can’t laugh? Sergei Prokofiev’s opera The Love for Three Oranges is about a king who wishes to help his sick son. But only one thing can cure the malady of the heir to the throne: laughter. While the doctors are trying their luck, Truffaldino and Fata Morgana get into a fight, during which the latter is knocked over. When her mishap causes the Prince to laugh, she quickly places a curse on him: he is destined to fall in love with three oranges. The Prince and Truffaldino immediately set off on a hair-raising journey that finally takes them to a desert – a trip that can be seen as a balancing act between fantasy and reality. Here parody is tinged with tragedy and a touch of the grotesque.

Kay and Gerta's journey to the Snow Queen and into the depths of the human soul.

The Snow Queen

Did Richard Wagner already know when, in The Flying Dutchman, he first explored the notion of redemption, that this would end up being the central concern of his art? In his final opera, Parsifal, which was first performed in Bayreuth in 1882, it is not just a single person but society as a whole that awaits a saviour – buoyed by the hope of one day meeting the One who will fulfil this role. Parsifal’s qualification for this tremendous task is that he has become “knowing through compassion” – a process that takes many years, perhaps an entire lifetime. But there are forces trying to hinder him on his path. Will Parsifal be willing to place himself at the service of the community? Parsifal, which has been called a “stage consecration festival”, is still an overwhelming experience today. Can art truly help us find redemption?

Parsifal

Is Carmen’s gaze only to be compared with that of a wild animal? The French writer Prosper Mérimée explored this question in his novella Carmen, which was the basis for Georges Bizet’s (1838-1875) final opera, which premiered at the Opéra-Comique in Paris on 3 March 1875. Carmen’s air of seduction is both her weapon and her downfall, for in the end she dies at the hands of her jealous lover, Don José. Carmen refuses to be told what to do and certainly doesn’t want to be rescued by Don José in the shifting sands in front of the bullfighting arena. She prefers death to having her life decided by others. In the extremely popular and passionate “Habanera” aria, which is our first encounter with Carmen, she paints a picture of herself: “Love is a rebellious bird that none can tame.” Her indomitable desire for freedom is stamped in her DNA.

Carmen

A European woman in the hands of Muslim fundamentalists. A western rescue mission goes awry. Execution by the special unit is a foregone conclusion. But: vengeance is nothing - forgiveness everything! Unfortunately only a very few have the greatness of heart to exercise it. Mozart's contribution to the clash of civilizations and a not-to-be-underestimated comedy for music.

Jasmin Delfs

Events

Upcoming events

Dec 7, 2025 - Jan 8, 2026

The Snow Queen · Semperoper Dresden

Mar 22 - Apr 6, 2026

Parsifal · Semperoper Dresden

May 1 - Jun 20, 2026

Carmen · Semperoper Dresden

May 31 - Jun 5, 2026

The Abduction From The Seraglio · Bayerische Staatsoper

Past events

9 - 19 Oct, 2025

The Love for Three Oranges · Semperoper Dresden

Sep 6 - Nov 7, 2025

Die Entführung aus dem Serail · Semperoper Dresden

Future and recently performed repertoire

Frasquita in Carmen by Bizet

Semperoper Dresden

Adele in Die Fledermaus by Strauss

Semperoper Dresden

Blonde in The Abduction from the Seraglio by Mozart

Bayerische Staatsoper

Ninetta in The Love for Three Oranges by Prokofiev

Semperoper Dresden

Merab in Saul by Handel

Semperoper Dresden

1st Knappe in Parsifal by Wagner

Semperoper Dresden

Blonde in Die Entführung aus dem Serail by Mozart

Semperoper Dresden

Prinzessin in The Snow Queen by Abrahamsen

Semperoper Dresden

About

Jasmin Delfs hasn't added a bio