Actor

At the age of almost 80, Giuseppe Verdi, who had already achieved mythical status, once again achieved sensational success with this opera. Using the brilliant libretto of the much younger Arrigo Boito as a starting point, he created a masterpiece of comic opera after five decades of tragic works. Although it is based on the same material as Otto Nicolai’s The Merry Wives of Windsor, Verdi succeeded in writing a distinct, subversive version of the comedy.

Falstaff

Bebelplatz

Operetta has always been an escape from everyday life into a dream world. But what if what is happening in the world is so terrible that it can no longer be forgotten? In the first months of 1938, current political life intrudes into the Volksoper during rehearsals for the operetta Gruß und Kuss aus der Wachau. What do intolerance, discrimination and fascism do to the staff of the Volksoper?

In the course of rehearsals, the seizure of power by the National Socialists brings about serious changes for the Volksoper: dismissals follow at all levels of the house. A captivating look into the mirror of the past can also mean a confrontation with a painful period in the history of the Volksoper. We don't want to avoid that. By telling the story of the Volksoper staff, we preserve the memory of ALL victims. At the same time, we do not lose sight of the actions of the perpetrators, which could happen again at any time, but we also remember the countless people who did not raise their voices.

Let 's forget the world - Volksoper 1938

Volksoper Wien

The story of The Magic Flute begins like an adventure: a prince rescues a princess from a dark ruler, accompanied by a birdcatcher and magical devices. But the boundaries between good and evil, light and dark become blurred and the characters are far more complex.

The story of The Magic Flute has been interpreted and reinterpreted in many ways. But one of the reasons it continues to captivate audiences to this day is that it features complex characters, who are portrayed as diverse and dazzling as real people. A mother, for example, who wants to save her daughter – or perhaps uses her as an instrument of revenge. A young woman who discovers a strength within herself she didn’t know she had. A coward who might actually be braver than he believes. A villain who, on second glance, no longer appears (only) evil.

The Magic Flute

The Viennese aristocracy are no strangers to family feuds: boorish Baron Ochs auf Lerchenau interrupts the morning tête-à-tête between his cousin, the Marschallin, and her young lover Octavian, to ask for her help with his wedding plans, which are steered more by financial gain than love. Ochs does not suspect that Octavian himself, who is chosen to deliver the engagement rose, will eventually fall in love with the bride.

Der Rosenkavalier

Things are heating up in the Faninal household! The nouveau riche is eagerly awaiting the wedding of his daughter Sophie - it is to be a noble groom. However, it is not the intended candidate, the Baron Ochs, who will win Sophie's heart, but the bearer of the silver engagement rose: the young Count Octavian. Before his secret lover, the Feldmarschallin, releases Octavian for the union, Baron Ochs is publicly disgraced in a suburban pub ...

The Rosenkavalier

The poet Hoffmann thinking of his beloved Stella, struggles with a writer’s block. His Muse, in disguise, is determined to steer Hoffmann away from his unhappy love and back to art. Hoffmann begins recounting the stories of three women he once loved: Olympia, Antonia, and Giulietta. In her staging, director Lotte de Beer creates a dialogue between Hoffmann and the Muse, a confrontation between art and the artist. Jacques Offenbach’s name remains synonymous with operetta, but at the end of his life, he worked on his most ambitious masterpiece: the fantastic opera Les contes d’Hoffmann.

Actor

Karl-Michael Ebner

Events

Upcoming events

Sep 28, 2025 - Jun 8, 2026

The Magic Flute · Volksoper Wien

Oct 19, 2025 - Feb 24, 2026

Let 's forget the world - Volksoper 1938 · Volksoper Wien

Nov 20 - Dec 7, 2025

Falstaff · Staatsoper Berlin

Jan 29 - Feb 14, 2026

The Rosenkavalier · Volksoper Wien

Mar 28 - Apr 5, 2026

Der Rosenkavalier · Staatsoper Berlin

Past events

Nov 20 - Dec 7, 2025

Falstaff · Staatsoper Berlin

Oct 19, 2025 - Feb 24, 2026

Let 's forget the world - Volksoper 1938 · Volksoper Wien

Future and recently performed repertoire

Monostatic in The Magic Flute by Mozart

Volksoper Wien

Valzacchi in Der Rosenkavalier by Strauss

Staatsoper Berlin

Bardolfo in Falstaff by Verdi

Staatsoper Berlin

Valzacchi in The Rosenkavalier by Strauss

Volksoper Wien

Fritz Imhoff (Püringer) in Let 's forget the world by Kagarlitsky

Volksoper Wien

Andreas / Cochenille / Franz / Pitichinaccio in Hoffmanns tales by Offenbach

Volksoper Wien

About

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