As the court jester to the Duke of Mantua, Rigoletto is no less scrupulous than his absolutist master, who seduces women at will and has men killed on a whim. Rigoletto seeks to protect his daughter Gilda from this world, but the Duke has already set his sights on the innocent young woman. When Gilda gives herself to the seducer driven by love and idealism, Rigoletto's carefully constructed wall of protection collapses, and he himself is made a fool: his belief that he could strictly separate the corruption of court society from his private happiness proves to be a fatal illusion.

EPSG:4326

Rigoletto

Cologne Opera

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’.

The Bandits

Oper Frankfurt

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

What do we long for when we love? And can another person ever truly recognize our deepest desires – let alone fulfill them?

Yves Saelens

Events

Upcoming events

Oct 3 - Nov 15, 2026

Rigoletto · Oper Köln

Nov 28, 2026 - Feb 27, 2027

Hoffmann's Tales · Oper Köln

Past events

Oct 3 - Nov 15, 2026

Rigoletto · Oper Köln

Nov 7 - Dec 26, 2025

The Bandits · Oper Frankfurt

Future and recently performed repertoire

Borsa in Rigoletto by Verdi

Oper Köln

Kurfürst von Brandenburg in The Prince of Homburg by Henze

Oper Frankfurt

Pietro in Les brigands by Offenbach

Oper Frankfurt

Andrès / Cochineal / Pitichinaccio / Frantz in Hoffmann's Tales by Offenbach

Oper Köln

About

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