Singer

Jacques Offenbach carries us off to a world of bandits in his wonderful operetta. Falsacappa, their chief, is having trouble keeping his men’s moral up: recent forays raked in next to nothing. Now he’s planning an outrageous coup. Taking advantage of complicated events concerning an envoy from Granada, wanting to claim a debt from the court of Mantua, and sneaking into Mantua, is disguise, to swipe the money for themselves. The carabinieri, in their heavy boots, always arrive too late. But Falsacappa's gang ends up empty-handed: the Duke of Mantua's coffers are empty … criminal activity at court far outclasses the bandits’.

EPSG:4326

The Bandits

Oper Frankfurt

A ruler wracked with guilt, power-greedy conspirators, a fickle people and a monk, who writes history, in the true sense of the word: Boris Godunov is crowned Tsar, to the delight of the people, after Dimitri, legitimate heir to the throne, was murdered. The monk Pimen naming the ruler as the murderer in his chronicles of Russian history inspires the novice Grigori to pass himself off as Dimitri, who escaped with his life after all, and lay claim to the throne, backed by ambitious Marina, Polish Voyevoda's daughter. While Boris struggles with ghosts of the past, the Boyars wonder how to get rid of the new usurper, but the »fake Dimitri« ends up being crowned Tsar.

Boris Godunov

Death has many faces. Appearing as comforter, seducer, sadist. It shines in the dark and hides in the light.

Aribert Reimann’s L’invisible turned three Maeterlinck plays into a poetic meditation on the power of death: L’intruse shows a mother, struggling to survive childbirth. While most of her relatives fail to grasp the seriousness of the situation, her blind grandfather’s the only one to register the arrival of an invisible stranger. Intérieur starts with a young woman’s suicide. Two men, expected to break the news to her family, wonder whether it wouldn’t be kinder to hide the bitter truth. La mort de Tintagiles harks back to a dismal fairy tale: an old Queen lures her grandson Tintagiles back to her kingdom, to murder him. He puts up a fight, helped by his sisters, but vanishes without trace in his grandmother’s mysterious castle.

L’invisible

Introductory talks (in German) in the Holzfoyer 30 minutes before curtain up, available here shortly after opening night and everywhere where podcasts are to be found.

Amor vien dal destino

The relationship between Cio-Cio-San, called »Butterfly«, and US American marine officer Benjamin F. Pinkerton begins as a proforma wedding – with unexpected consequences: the young Japanese woman cuts herself off from her family, hoping to leave her impoverished origins behind; Pinkerton, on the other hand, despite his overwhelming desires, doesn’t feel committed to this »provisional marriage«. When he’s ordered home Cio-Cio-San’s left behind, expecting his baby. She waits unwaveringly for his return; her only rock is her faithful servant Suzuki. But when Pinkerton’s ship re-docks in Nagasaki, the illusion shatters: He married another woman in America. When Butterfly realises they intend to take her child as well, she sees no other way out; she commits ritual suicide, as her father before her. Doing away with superficial clichés, the director R.B. Schlather focuses on the human tragedy, for which Puccini, Master of Melody found such heart-rending music.

Madama Butterfly

The inspiration for Fortner’s opera resembles an ancient Greek tragedy. The Spanish poet Garcia Lorca took up an all too familiar tale for his play Blood Wedding, which was first performed in 1933. His vitriol aimed at the uncompromising nature of blood feuds: a bridegroom’s mother lost her husband and oldest son in fights between the two clans and now fears for her youngest son’s life. She’s worried his wedding will reignite the war, because the bride still loves her former beloved Leonardo, a member of the enemy family. Leonardo abducts her during the wedding. They escape into the woods, but are caught. Two scores are settled: both rivals die in a duel.

Blood Wedding

A Tsar, wanting to have his photograph taken has no idea he’s surrounded by conspirator’s planning his assassination. And a young woman, who can outsmart anybody – even a King.

Mezzo-soprano

Karolina Makuła

Events

Upcoming events

Nov 7 - Dec 26, 2025

The Bandits · Oper Frankfurt

Jan 25 - Feb 28, 2026

Amor vien dal destino · Oper Frankfurt

Feb 6 - Mar 20, 2026

Madama Butterfly · Oper Frankfurt

May 10 - Jun 15, 2026

Blood Wedding · Oper Frankfurt

14 - 27 Jun, 2026

The Tsar wants his Photograph taken / The Clever Woman · Oper Frankfurt

Past events

Nov 7 - Dec 26, 2025

The Bandits · Oper Frankfurt

2 - 26 Nov, 2025

Boris Godunov · Oper Frankfurt

Future and recently performed repertoire

Suzuki in Madama Butterfly by Puccini

Oper Frankfurt

Fyodor in Boris Godunov by Mussorgsky

Oper Frankfurt

Bellangère/Marthe in La mort de Tintagiles by Loeffler

Oper Frankfurt

Bellangère/Marthe in Intérieur by Reimann

Oper Frankfurt

Fragoletto in Les brigands by Offenbach

Oper Frankfurt

Turno in Amor vien dal destino by Steffani

Oper Frankfurt

Maid in Blood Wedding by Fortner

Oper Frankfurt

Boy in The Tsar wants his Photograph taken by Weill

Oper Frankfurt

About

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