"Oh, what one often hears or reads about naughty children!" Thus begins Wilhelm Busch's famous story about the mischievous brothers Max and Moritz and their pranks. Against cheekiness and schadenfreude, there seems to be no cure, as Wilhelm Busch already lamented, and in the age of social media, there are even more opportunities to torment others and get attention for it.

Max and Moritz

StaatenHaus Hall 2

Stadt Köln

"Oh, what one often has to hear or read about naughty children!" So begins the famous story by Wilhelm Busch about the naughty brothers Max and Moritz and their pranks. Against impudence and schadenfreude, there seems to be basically no remedy, as Wilhelm Busch already lamented, and in times of social media there are plenty of opportunities to harass others and to get attention for it. The Norwegian composer Gisle Kverndokk and librettist Øystein Wiik look with today's perspective and a great treasure trove of musical quotations on the old story and recount seven equally common and amusing pranks, with which Max and Moritz, in cartoon style, annoy the descendants of Widow Bolte, Teacher Lämpel and Tailor Böck. The last prank of the naughty boys is just one too many as today. But: He who laughs last, laughs loudest.

Cologne Opera

A colorful gingerbread house in the middle of the forest, in which two hungry children seek refuge. But there lives an evil witch with gruesome baking recipes. Engelbert Humperdinck's most famous opera is full of contrasts, both on stage and in the music. It combines traditional children's songs with Wagnerian orchestral sound, creating a magical soundscape that captivates both young and adult audiences alike. The fairy-tale opera, in which the siblings successfully overcome danger together, returns to the stage in the 2005 production by Jürgen Rose. It is conducted by the new Cologne General Music Director Andrés Orozco-Estrada.

Hansel and Gretel

Professor Beelzebub Irrwitzer is a dreadful sorcerer and poisoner, who takes pleasure in causing a lot of destruction in nature. But his devilish client is not at all satisfied with him this year, far too few Evil deeds, finds Maledictus Made, the devilish messenger. Therefore, at midnight, Irrwitzer's time will run out, unless he quickly manages to secure a few more disasters in the world. Now only the satan-archaeo-lying-alcoholic Wish Punch can help him, which at the stroke of midnight turns all good wishes into their opposite. However, Irrwitzer only has half of the parcel containing the recipe; the other half is with his aunt, Tyrannja Vamperl, who happens to be visiting. She has exactly the same problem, and so both are now brewing the highly dangerous Wish Punch. Fortunately, Tomcat Maurizio and Crow Krista recognizes the danger and they jointly take up the fight against the two villains, even though they initially do not like each other at all. But time is running out and the task is difficult...

The Wishing Punch

"Yaparız biz herşeyi! Together and united we are strong!" the four animals sing and set off for Bremen to find happiness there. They are underdogs, outcasts and individualists: The donkey left his owner standing there when he called him stupid. the dog was disowned by his mistress because he always broke everything when playing. The cat refused to catch mice and was put out on the street. The rooster never managed to control his emotional outbursts and so he was thrown out as a troublemaker. But now they form an unbeatable team that wants to make music together and become famous – "Un pour tous, tous pour un! One for all, all for one!" the four musketeers set off on a journey to the place of their longing. Of course, numerous obstacles appear along the way, and there are also disputes among themselves. This extraordinary children's opera tells how the four idiosyncratic characters learn to overcome their conflicts and their fears.

Rainer Mühlbach

Events

Past events

Jan 24 - Mar 1, 2026

Max and Moritz · Bühnen Köln

Jan 24, 2026

Max and Moritz · Oper Köln

Future and recently performed repertoire

Conductor in Hansel and Gretel by Humperdinck

Oper Köln

Conductor in The Wishing Punch by Naske

Oper Köln

About

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