Singer

Aida is a grand opera in the tradition of works like Meyerbeer’s Les Huguenots, but it is also a deeply personal, psychological drama. As in many of Verdi’s operas, the characters’ inner struggles collide with broader political conflicts. At the heart of Aida lies a love triangle set against the backdrop of a devastating war. I have grown weary of typical productions: all those piles of sand, colourful hieroglyphs, elephants and camels… On the other hand, I didn’t want to stage Aida in the way it’s currently done in, say, Germany, or as it was recently presented at Covent Garden, with direct references to contemporary conflicts. I wanted to offer a fresh perspective, something unusual but always within the framework of Verdi’s work and with the utmost respect for his creation.

EPSG:4326

Aida

Mariinsky II

It is the summer of 1789. A festivity is being prepared in the castle of Countess de Coigny. Charles Gérard, a servant of the Countess´ voices his hatred of the French aristrocracy´s decadence. His aged Father is forced to labour all day long and Gérard himself leads the undignified life of a lackey. Moreover, he is secretly and unhappily in love with Madeleine de Coigny, the daughter of the House with whom he was raised. The political situation is very tense. When the visitors attending the ball finally arrive, they try to distract themselves from the disquieting news from Paris with the help of arcadian idylls and games. The young poet André Chénier is among the guests. Madeleine requests him to recite a poem. He sings of love and laments the injustice of the powers that be in such a convincing manner that Madeleine is deeply moved and forced to quit the room. The doors are suddely opened and a mob of irate people led by Gérard shocks the ball guests. However, the Countess manages to pacify and disperse the mob. The dancing continues.

Andrea Chenier

Deutsche Oper Berlin

The outsider Herman loves Liza, who is engaged to Prince Yeletsky. Herman is a passionate gambler: he is desperate to win a fortune and reputation in order to win Liza’s heart. When he learns that her grandmother knows the secret of the three winning cards, fate takes its course.

Pique Dame

Staatsoper Hamburg

Recreating reality is all well and good, according to Giuseppe Verdi, "but inventing reality is better, far better". And what sort of reality he invented in his Troubadour opera: Swapped children, avenged mothers, sacrificed lovers and more... An almost mythical tale full of unbelievable twists and turns that repeatedly put all the characters right into a state of emergency. Verdi was far more concerned with the credibility of the emotions and not so much with the credibility of the plot itself: Singing as a kind of utopia, as the opening of a space that does not exist in recreated reality. In his staging of Verdi's opera, director Paul-Georg Dittrich goes in search of exactly these moments.

Il Trovatore

The Staatstheater Stuttgart

"Luisa Miller" is Giuseppe Verdi’s third setting of a play by Friedrich Schiller. “It is a great drama, full of passion and very effective in theatrical terms,” the composer wrote to the librettist Salvadore Cammarano about “Kabale und Liebe”...

Baritone

Pavel Yankovsky

Events

Upcoming events

Apr 29, 2025 - Mar 13, 2026

Pique Dame · Staatsoper Hamburg

May 24 - Jun 5, 2026

Luisa Miller · Staatsoper Hamburg

Past events

13 - 15 Jun, 2025

Aida · Mariinsky Theatre

May 30 - Jun 7, 2025

Andrea Chenier · Deutsche Oper Berlin

Future and recently performed repertoire

Graf Tomsky in Pique Dame by Tchaikovsky

Staatsoper Hamburg

Count of Luna in Il trovatore by Verdi

Staatsoper Stuttgart

Carlo Gérard in Andrea Chénier by Giordano

Deutsche Oper Berlin

Amonasro in Aida by Verdi

Mariinsky Theatre

Miller in Luisa Miller by Verdi

Staatsoper Hamburg

About

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