To what lengths may a person to go to free themselves from terrible circumstances? The young Katerina, married into wealth yet lonely nonetheless, imprisoned in a mercilessly cold world dominated by men and controlled by its police force, is longing for something more. She is forced to hide her joie de vivre on account of her tyrannical father-in-law, and suppress her desires for love because her husband is impotent and distant. When he is away and the bravado Sergei starts working on the farm, she seems to have found a way out of this dull situation devoid of action. But in the end, four people are dead, including a murderess. Premiered in Leningrad in 1934, the acclaimed opera was intended to further fuel the promising career of the then 24-year-old Dmitri Shostakovich. But one visit to a performance by Stalin was enough for him to suspect the celebrated star of being a potential enemy of the regime. From then on, Shostakovich was forced to live and compose in oppressive fear. Yet where words are forbidden, his musical world simmers, sizzles and lies in wait to explode at the next touch.

Lady Macbeth von Mzensk

Oper Leipzig

Men are crazy! While the violinist Orpheus immerses himself in his work and escapes into an affair to distract himself from his unfulfilled marriage to his wife Eurydice, the underworld god Pluto takes a liking to her and steals her into his realm – Orpheus is happy to be rid of her! Later, the guardian Styx and the chief god of Olympus, Jupiter, see their chance with Eurydice. And the women? Well, Jupiter’s wife Juno immediately blames her husband for everything, and Eurydice has fun elsewhere until she becomes the plaything of the suitors. At least public opinion is stepping up to the plate and putting the gentlemen in their place. But Eurydice is fed up anyway and would rather have a drink with the Bacchantes. Cheers!

EPSG:4326

Orpheus in der Unterwelt

Musikalische Komödie

When Salome had its world premiere in 1905, it marked the beginning of Richard Strauss’ operatic successes. Based on Oscar Wilde’s sensational tragedy, Strauss composed a musical drama rife with unleashed passion, whose worldwide success not even prudish censors could stop. Using one of the most scandalous stories in cultural history, whose origins lie in the New Testament, Strauss created a musical and stunning psychological profile of the unconscious, laying bare the conflict between sensuality and asceticism, between intoxication and loneliness, power and love.

Salome

We've all been there: in hotels, you're always fascinated by people from all over the world and their customs! And when this motley crew find themselves in a tizzy because they all want to go to Paris for the coronation but are prevented from doing so by the transportation system? And when the Hotel zur Goldenen Lilie is run by an excellent proprietor like Madame Cortese, who is determined to make her guests' stay unforgettable, virtuoso, colorful entertainment is guaranteed. Love potions, deft personnel, fainting spells due to a missing hatbox, f librations and misunderstandings culminate in a banquet with international toasts: long live the monarch and long live international understanding!

The Journey to Reims

Conceived as a preliminary evening to Wagner’s interpretation of world mythology, »Das Rheingold« introduces the central themes of this tetralogy: »Only he who renounces the power of love« can form the Rheingold into a ring that promises its bearer power over the world. It is the low E-flat in the strings that gives us the musical manifestation of the idea of a natural primitive state. But once Alberich steals the Rheingold, a chain of events are set in motion: Wotan’s megalomaniacal plan to build a structure representative of gods’ long-lost authority is followed by Alberich’s betrayal at Wotan and Loge’s hand and Alberich’s subsequent curse. The murder of Fasolt by his brother Fafner ensues. Not even Erda, with her wisdom and warning, can stop the chain of events from unfurling.

Das Rheingold

Tevye the milkman is poor in terms of money, but rich in terms of women: five daughters! Three of them of marriageable age. But it soon becomes clear that the young women's dreams do not conform to either the plans of the matchmaker, Yente, or those of their father, who dreams so avidly of "If I were a rich man". In this cult musical, which premiered on Broadway in 1964 and won nine Tony Awards, riveting dance scenes and full-scale show numbers underscore moments of a father whose dreams and hopes resonate deeply.

Fiddler on the Roof

La Traviata is the final work in the Trilogia Popolare, Verdi’s trio of masterpieces written between 1850-52. Once again, he was inspired by an outsider: after the jester in Rigoletto and the gypsy Azucena in Il Trovatore, the courtesan Violetta Valéry -- a woman whose charm surpasses her predecessors -- takes center stage here. The Parisian demimonde is the setting for the story of the unconditional and hopeless love between Alfredo Germont and the terminally ill Violetta. From the very beginning, their love is threatened not only by death, but also by the norms of the society and the honor of a family.

La Traviata

The curtain rises, and the stage is bathed in the light of a thousand candles. Stage director and designer Michiel Dijkema’s spectacular vision plays off of Puccini’s music, drawing the audience into the fickle worlds of love and power, church and state in Rome in 1800. Puccini’s Tosca at the Oper Leipzig is a suspense-filled crime drama, and a true celebration of the voice!

Tosca

For over a century, Engelbert Humperdinck’s fairy-tale opera »Hänsel and Gretel« has been enchanting generations of young opera-goers. Not insignificantly, the premiere of this work took place on the night before Christmas Eve. To this day, this beloved opera is performed near Christmastime in many opera houses. After all, Christmas is a time for family, and »Hänsel and Gretel« is a family opera par excellence: While their children’s eyes widen in wonder at their first opera experience, parents can reminisce and delight in nostalgia. In this new production, director Birgit Eckenweber, together with her set- and costume designer Alexander Mudlagk, sends Hansel and Gretel into a fantastical fairy-tale world that’s guaranteed to fascinate. Ah, to be young again!

Hänsel und Gretel

Welcome to the mysterious fairy-tale world of the »Magic Flute«! Even the names of the characters sound magical and remind us of our first visits to the opera: Tamino, Pamina, Papageno, Sarastro … Hardly any other work of opera literature includes so many contradictory elements, so harmoniously combined into a coherent entity by Mozart's music . Is his arguably most popular opera an adventure story about growing up? A parable of wisdom, philosophy and friendship? Is it simply about staying true to oneself, like the bird catcher Papageno? He accompanies Prince Tamino, who has fallen in love with a picture of the kidnapped Pamina and plans to free her. We are reminded that the world cannot always be divided into good and evil: the Queen of the Night and Sarastro illustrate this to us through their quarrel over Pamina. On our journey we are also accompanied by three ladies, three boys, a glockenspiel, and a flute that tames even the wildest animals.

Einar Dagur Jónsson

Events

Past events

25 - 29 May, 2025

Lady Macbeth von Mzensk · Oper Leipzig

May 24 - Jun 28, 2025

Orpheus in der Unterwelt · Oper Leipzig

Future and recently performed repertoire

3. Vorarbeiter in Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk by Shostakovich

Oper Leipzig

Jude in Salome by Strauss

Oper Leipzig

1st man in armor in The Magic Flute by Mozart

Oper Leipzig

Second priest in The Magic Flute by Mozart

Oper Leipzig

Gastone in La traviata by Verdi

Oper Leipzig

Hexe in Hansel and Gretel by Humperdinck

Oper Leipzig

Froh in Das Rheingold by Wagner

Oper Leipzig

About

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