It is one of the classics in the Staatsoper’s repertoire: August Everding’s production of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s The Magic Flute. The production is unique for its reconstruction of Karl Friedrich Schinkel’s 1816 set design for what was then the Berlin Court Opera on Unter den Linden – including the legendary starry sky for the Queen of the Night, which has become an icon of scenography and continues to enchant audiences.

The Magic Flute (Everding)

Bebelplatz

The most famous lovers ever: virtually mythical figures, Romeo and Juliette from Shakespeare’s eponymous drama have dominated world literature ever since its premiere in 1597. Among the many musical settings of the work, Charles Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette is one of the most performed. It was a triumphant success already at its premiere as part of the 1867 Paris Exposition. Gounod focuses particularly on the emotional life of the two lovers, for whom he composes no fewer than four love duets. At the same time, he also explores the social context of their forbidden love in the form of powerful choral tableaux and a large fight scene between the enemy families. In this production, director Mariame Clément will place the focus on the youth of the title characters, presenting them not as an exaggerated ideal of a couple, but as young people of today who find their way to another despite all odds.

Roméo et Juliette

In the early 1930s, for Richard Strauss — approaching 70 — it was an auspicious moment when Stefan Zweig, a renowned author known for his artful, profound novels and plays, proposed writing a new libretto. In a mutually inspiring collaboration, they created a truly “comic opera” based on a play by Ben Jonson from the Shakespeare period filled not only with striking characters, tempo, and wit, but profound reflection as well. “The opera is a perfect, but perhaps for the twenty-first century,” according to Strauss himself, who in a difficult, dark time created a work of creative compositional virtuosity and a relaxed sense of humor, a story of people longing for rest or who lose themselves in busyness. This will be director Jan Philipp Gloger’s debut and it will be Christian Thielemann’s first new production as general music director, a position once held by Strauss himself.

Manuel Winckhler

Events

Upcoming events

Dec 29, 2024 - Jan 4, 2025

The Magic Flute (Everding) · Staatsoper Berlin

21 - 27 May, 2025

Roméo et Juliette · Staatsoper Berlin

19 - 24 Jul, 2025

The Silent Woman · Staatsoper Berlin

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