A psychological drama between duty and freedom

Katja Kaba­nova

German Oper am Rhein

Two peoples find themselves in the barbaric grip of war after Nabucco and his troops attack Jerusalem. The Babylonian ruler and Zaccaria, the leader of the Hebrews, do not budge an inch from their opposing viewpoints in this profound conflict, while the daily grind of war continues to bring new suffering to both peoples. The seemingly hopeless conflict does not even stop at their own families: Zaccaria holds Nabucco's favorite daughter Fenena hostage, while she has long since changed sides out of love for Ismaele and lives among the enemy people. Nabucco's other daughter, Abigaille, envies her sister's happiness and her father's throne and forges disastrous plans...

Nabucco

Theater Duisburg

The mermaid Rusalka loves the prince - a human! She wants to risk everything, the loss of her family and her home, to become a human woman. Transformed by the witch Ježibaba, she must face the prince in silence, telling him of her love only through her looks and gestures. If the prince does not fall in love with her, he must die and she must live as an outcast from then on. Rusalka's appearance initially beguiles the prince, but the magical, voiceless creature remains a foreign body in the human world, and eventually her lover turns his back on her...

Rusalka

Of course, it's much more fun to play than to help with the housework! Hansel and Gretel know that too. It's just a shame that they smash the milk churn during their boisterous game and there goes their dinner. What should the destitute family put on the table now? The mother scolds her children and sends them into the forest to look for berries. What begins as an adventure quickly turns serious at dusk, however: the siblings get lost and soon fall into the clutches of the evil witch. Now they have to summon up all their courage and ingenuity to free themselves.

Hänsel und Gretel

Of course, it's much more fun to play than to help with housework! Hänsel and Gretel know that too. It's just a shame that they smash the milk churn during their boisterous games and ruin their dinner. What should the poor family put on the table now? The mother scolds her children and sends them into the forest to look for berries. However, what begins as an adventure soon turns serious at dusk: the siblings get lost and soon fall into the clutches of the wicked witch. Now they have to summon up all their courage and ingenuity to free themselves.

Hansel and Gretel

In order to foil Alberich’s bid for power, the ruler of the gods Wotan has fathered nine Valkyries, who have the task of gathering an army of fallen heroes for him and bringing them to Valhalla. His intention is that his son Siegmund, conceived from a relationship with a mortal woman, will be the free-born hero who wins back the ring for him. However, Siegmund unwittingly upsets Wotan’s plan by falling in love with his twin sister Sieglinde, a union that gives birth to Siegfried. When Wotan’s favourite daughter Brünnhilde disobeys her father’s order to seal Siegmund’s downfall out of compassion, he banishes her to the rock of fire from which only the strongest hero will be able to rescue her. This will be Siegfried.

The Valkyrie

A trail of violence runs through the cursed dynasty of the Atrides long before this opera begins: Elektra's grandfather fed his own sons to his brother, her father Agamemnon sacrificed Elektra's sister Iphigenia, the desperate mother Clytemnestra and her lover Aegisth slaughtered Agamemnon with an axe in the bath. The children cannot find peace either: Elektra cannot mourn, desperate and raw, she dwells on her hatred. Like must be repaid in kind, the murderous mother and her lover must die. While her sister Chrysotemis refuses to join her, her brother Orest is to take vengeance for their beloved father: The next generation picks up the axe...

Elektra

Even a rich prince can be quite poor sometimes. The noble Don Ramiro finds out about this when his search for a bride takes him to the house of the notoriously penniless Don Magnifico. His daughters don't give the visitor, disguised as a simple servant, a second glance. It's a good thing that Ramiro finds a sympathetic heart in the unloved stepsister Angelina, known as Cenerentola... Gioachino Rossini composed some of his most beautiful melodies for his turbulent musical theater version of the charming “Cinderella”. Jean-Pierre Ponnelle's legendary production, which has been enchanting audiences since 1974, is as effervescently cheerful as Rossini's light-hearted score.

Kimberley Boettger-Soller

Events

Upcoming events

Nov 4, 2025 - Jun 14, 2026

Nabucco · Deutsche Oper am Rhein

Dec 2, 2025 - Feb 8, 2026

Katja Kabanova · Deutsche Oper am Rhein

Dec 6, 2025 - Jan 18, 2026

Hansel and Gretel · Deutsche Oper am Rhein

Feb 22 - Apr 5, 2026

The Valkyrie · Deutsche Oper am Rhein

Apr 7 - Jun 4, 2026

Elektra · Deutsche Oper am Rhein

Past events

Dec 2, 2025 - Feb 8, 2026

Katja Kabanova · Deutsche Oper am Rhein

Nov 4, 2025 - Jun 14, 2026

Nabucco · Deutsche Oper am Rhein

Future and recently performed repertoire

Hansel in Hansel and Gretel by Humperdinck

Deutsche Oper am Rhein

Barbara in Káťa Kabanová by Janáček

Deutsche Oper am Rhein

3. Maid in Elektra by Strauss

Deutsche Oper am Rhein

Fenena in Nabucco by Verdi

Deutsche Oper am Rhein

Angelina in Cinderella by Rossini

Deutsche Oper am Rhein

Rossweisse in The Valkyrie by Wagner

Deutsche Oper am Rhein

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