Singer

Aida is a grand opera in the tradition of works like Meyerbeer’s Les Huguenots, but it is also a deeply personal, psychological drama. As in many of Verdi’s operas, the characters’ inner struggles collide with broader political conflicts. At the heart of Aida lies a love triangle set against the backdrop of a devastating war. I have grown weary of typical productions: all those piles of sand, colourful hieroglyphs, elephants and camels… On the other hand, I didn’t want to stage Aida in the way it’s currently done in, say, Germany, or as it was recently presented at Covent Garden, with direct references to contemporary conflicts. I wanted to offer a fresh perspective, something unusual but always within the framework of Verdi’s work and with the utmost respect for his creation.

EPSG:4326

Aida

Mariinsky II

Hatred, jealousy and loss: Sergei Rachmaninoff creates a dark world with powerful colours in his one-act opera Francesca da Rimini. Against this backdrop, the heroine’s brief happiness in love shines all the more brightly. Kirill Petrenko presents the impassioned score with acclaimed soloists in a concert performance. Sofia Gubaidulina’s work The Wrath of God is almost apocalyptically dramatic. And here, too, it is about the hatred that – says the composer – “grows in this world with such force and intensity that it inevitably touches me.” The programme opens with one of the most popular works of American orchestral music: Samuel Barber’s touching and intimate Adagio for strings.

Kirill Petrenko with Rachmaninoff’s “Francesca da Rimini”

Berliner Philharmonie

Alban Berg's Wozzeck tells the story of a tormented creature who, beset by visions and fears, ridiculed and tormented by society, is driven out of existence - until the final catastrophe occurs and the victim also becomes a perpetrator.

Tenor

Dmitry Golovnin

Events

Upcoming events

9 - 13 Apr, 2026

Wozzeck · Wiener Staatsoper

Past events

13 - 15 Jun, 2025

Aida · Mariinsky Theatre

16 - 18 Jan, 2025

Kirill Petrenko with Rachmaninoff’s “Francesca da Rimini” · Berliner Philharmoniker

Future and recently performed repertoire

Drum Major in Wozzeck by Berg

Wiener Staatsoper

Radames in Aida by Verdi

Mariinsky Theatre

Dante Alighieri in Francesca da Rimini by Rachmaninoff

Berliner Philharmoniker

About

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