Singer

Bass

“You’re so lucky: the cheese fell right on the macaroni!”
Figaro
Figaro is not only the barber, but also the life coach, matchmaker, and information center of Seville. At least, that's how he introduces himself, but what we experience in Rossini's opera casts doubt on this self-characterization: His strategies for the enamored Count Almaviva to establish contact with Rosina, jealously guarded by her guardian, fail from the outset—and when Figaro intervenes, things only get worse. A good premise for a turbulent comedy, which director Nicola Hümpel magnifies with two live cameras: The production presents us with a group of egotists trying to manipulate one another. Eager to always present themselves in the best possible light, they compete for the best positions in front of the cameras, which mercilessly magnify every errant facial expression and every hidden tension.

The Barber of Seville

Staatstheater Hannover

"Not a pretty sight. Modernity begins."
Christa Wolf on Kleist's Penthesilea
A woman and a man, united by a politically senseless war, obsessed with defeating the other: the Amazon Penthesilea and the Greek Achilles. When Heinrich von Kleist transformed this ancient myth into a play in 1808, he reversed the story's gruesome ending: It wasn't Achilles who slays Penthesilea and then falls in love with the dead woman's body, but Penthesilea who falls in love with Achilles, kills him, and mauls his corpse.
Kleist's tragedy irritated his contemporaries: eroticism and aggression appear interchangeable, women fight like men, hunters become prey, and Penthesilea becomes an animal. This was not how Kleist's contemporaries imagined either antiquity or the theater. It didn't help that the most gruesome scenes weren't shown on stage, but merely reported: Penthesilea was never performed during the author's lifetime. It wasn't until the second half of the 20th century that this idiosyncratic work garnered interest and understanding.

Penthesilea

"Am I still Don Juan? No, I don't know anything about him anymore. The role is over. Something has ended, and something else is beginning."
Don Giovanni—the epitome of the ruthless, charismatic seducer. His life is marked by interpersonal encounters, affairs, and relationships. He savors life to the fullest, finding himself in the midst of a frenzied feast. But now Don Giovanni crosses the line: in a duel, he kills the Commendatore, which suddenly leaves a pool of blood in his life book, which was previously meticulously filled with women's names.
The production by Bastian Kraft and his team questions Don Giovanni about the life images of this radically ruthless man, who already sees his own death approaching and yet clings to life once more. More and more memories of his life so far intrude on him. But the voices of the dark figures he encounters—opponents, rivals, lovers—also grow louder and louder. Don Giovanni's actions do not remain without consequences. The images of a single night are overwritten and blurred beyond recognition.

Don Giovanni

Funny, elegant, erotic, melancholic: women in society are viewed in the panorama of a fake world. A society lady in a midlife crisis leaves her marriage with a young lover, but soon wisely leaves him with a younger woman. A bon vivant who thinks he can exchange his noble name for fresh meat and money is thrown out. A boy of rank and name changes from one great love to another and a young daughter from a nouveau riche family still believes in the one and only. All beautiful appearances, full of waltz music, kitsch and sugar coating - with a dash of biting irony and yet full of truth.

Der Rosenkavalier

Opernplatz

A premiere as a stark warning against hatred and repression: The 1972 Olympic Games in Munich were supposed to be a sporting festival in the name of peace. Instead, the catastrophe occurred, eleven Israeli athletes were killed by terrorists. The failure of the security forces and the way the Germans dealt with guilt still have an impact today. In the new opera, the lightness of the play is mixed with anxiety and chaos. The production removes the event from its distance and shows us the ghosts of history in powerful images. The sporting disciplines portrayed in the music and the wild jazz of the Steamboat Switzerland trio, which works together with the orchestra, loosen up the virtuoso time and rhythm structure. Corinna Harfouch is one of the most sought-after German actresses.

Singer, Bass

Yannick Spanier

Events

Past events

May 17 - Jun 24, 2026

The Barber of Seville · Staatstheater Hannover

Mar 5 - Apr 19, 2026

Penthesilea · Staatstheater Hannover

Future and recently performed repertoire

Masetto in Don Giovanni by Mozart

Staatstheater Hannover

Osmin in The Abduction from the Seraglio by Mozart

Kölner Kammerorchester

Don Basilio in The Barber of Seville by Rossini

Staatstheater Hannover

Odysseus in Penthesilea by Dusapin

Staatstheater Hannover

About

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