Singer

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.

EPSG:4326

The Tsar wants his Photograph taken / The Clever Woman

Oper Frankfurt

Encouraged by the prophecies of the three witches and his lady's ambition, Macbeth kills the king and seizes power. A spiral of cruel murders begins. Far from the power they longed for, the couple is overcome by guilt that permeates their days and nights. Verdi's music depicts the dramatic intensity without respite, leading to madness. Director Herbert Fritsch discovers the grotesque in the tragic darkness. Iain MacNeil makes his debut at Theater Basel in the title role, and audience favorite Heather Engebretson returns as Lady Macbeth.

Macbeth

Theater Basel

In his »erotic mystery/enigma« Otto Borngräber envisaged the first people driven out of paradise as a nuclear family left to their own devices: Chawa longs for her husband to want her as he used to, but Adahm’s more concerned about eking out an existence. Their pubescent son Kajin charges around in the wilderness looking for a woman, while his brother Chabel seeks redemption by praying to a God. When Kajin catches his mother and Chabel in ecstatic union, he kills his brother, then sees the »future blood of future mankind« in a terrifying vision.

The First People

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

Amfortas, leader of the Knights of the Grail, was wounded when he lost the Holy Spear to Klingsor, a wound, that won’t close.

As long as he does his duty and reveals the Grail, Amfortas can’t die. Kundry, a two-faced individual, serves the knights; she procures medicine to alleviate his pain, but it has little effect. Then Parsifal appears, committing sacrilege by shooting down a swan in this hallowed region. Gurnemanz rebukes him, then starts wondering: Could the young hothead be the promised »innocent fool«, who could bring salvation to their community? If so Parsifal would have to become »knowing through compassion« first. He meets Kundry, now a seductive woman, in Klingsor’s magic realm. Can he beat Klingsor and take the speer from him, the only thing that can close Amfortas’ wound?

Parsifal

The Prince of Homburg – a dreamer, nonconformist, hero?

Fehrbellin, 1675: Prince Friedrich dreams he’s an acclaimed victor in battle but is laughed at by everybody. The command goes out before the real fight begins that no-one’s to attack until the electoral prince explicitly orders it. But Homburg high-handedly leads a charge that could lead to victory and is sentenced to death for insubordination ...

The Prince of Homburg

Poison in the water: Shakespeare's story of paranoia, jealousy, and ambition is brought to new heights in the hands of Verdi and Boito. The two would later collaborate on the operatic adaptation of Shakespeare's Falstaff — Verdi's only comedy.

Baritone

Iain MacNeil

Events

Upcoming events

16 - 24 Apr, 2027

Otello · Calgary Opera

Past events

14 - 27 Jun, 2026

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

Jan 17 - Mar 28, 2026

Macbeth · Theater Basel

Future and recently performed repertoire

Macbeth in Macbeth by Verdi

Theater Basel

Iago in Otello by Verdi

Calgary Opera

Klingsor in Parsifal by Wagner

Oper Frankfurt

Andrei Tchelkalov in Boris Godunov by Mussorgsky

Oper Frankfurt

Feldmarschall Dörfling in The Prince of Homburg by Henze

Oper Frankfurt

Kajin in Die ersten Menschen by Stephan

Oper Frankfurt

2 Detectives in The Tsar wants his Photograph taken by Weill

Oper Frankfurt

3 Rogues in The Clever Woman by Orff

Oper Frankfurt

About

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