Few operas have more to say about remaining true (to yourself) in matters of art and love than Ariadne auf Naxos: should you cling to the one you love unconditionally, or remain open to new loves?

Ariadne auf Naxos

Bebelplatz

The wealthy Count Almaviva has won the heart of the beautiful Rosina under the pseudonym 'Lindoro'. But Rosina’s jealous guardian Dr Bartolo wishes to marry his ward himself and so tries to keep her suitors away. Fortunately, 'Lindoro' is helped by the cunning barber Figaro, who – more or less ingeniously – weaves a web of entanglements and masquerades.

Il barbiere di Siviglia

When the revolutionary and painter Mario Cavaradossi secretly attempts to help a political fugitive to escape the city of Rome, his lover, the famed singer Floria Tosca, believes he is cheating on her with another woman. Her jealousy is exploited by Scarpia, the unscrupulous chief of police, in order to help him capture Cavaradossi. Scarpia then makes Tosca an offer: if she gives herself to him for one night, he will release her lover.

Tosca

Lieutenant Pinkerton has fallen in love with the geisha Cio-Cio-San, known as Madama Butterfly, and wants to marry her according to Japanese custom without entering into a permanent relationship. But Butterfly truly loves Pinkerton and has a child by him. For years she waits in vain for the lieutenant to return. When Pinkerton does return, he arrives with his new American wife to pick up the child, and Butterfly stabs herself with a dagger.

Madama Butterfly

Modest Mussorgsky’s national folk drama centres on a grim episode of late 17th-century Russian history. Ivan Khovansky, leader of the musketeer corps (streltsy), and his son Andrei, are planning a conspiracy, but the ambitious Prince Vasily Golitsyn, the boyar Shaklovity and cleric Dosifey also get involved in the struggle for power.

Khovanshchina

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

The setting is Carthage, in ancient times: the hero Aeneas flees from burning Troy and arrives in North Africa via the Mediterranean Sea with his fleet of ships, where he meets the beautiful queen Dido. They are lovestruck – and yet fail to bond because of fate’s intervention. Aeneas continues on his journey to form a new kingdom in Italy, while the abandoned Dido is left no alternative but to stay.

Dido & Aeneas

It was his first great success, in a sense, his breakthrough: Nabucco. Premiered at Milan’s Scala in the spring of 1842, this work marks the start of the brilliant career of Giuseppe Verdi, who would become the leading Italian opera composer, going virtually unrivalled for decades. Set in biblical times in Jerusalem and Babylon, Nabucco deals with the fates of two peoples and cultures, but also the arrogance of the protagonist, who with an inflated sense of self-importance declares himself a god, only then to descend into madness. Tableaux with ceremonial gestures and poignant music, such as the famous chorus “Va pensiero” sung by the imprisoned Hebrews, are combined with scenes of intense expression, filled with drama and passion.

Hanseong Yun

Events

Upcoming events

May 23, 2026

Nabucco · Staatsoper Berlin

Past events

17 - 23 Apr, 2026

Ariadne auf Naxos · Staatsoper Berlin

Feb 20 - Mar 21, 2026

Il barbiere di Siviglia · Staatsoper Berlin

Future and recently performed repertoire

Le Duc in Roméo et Juliette by Gounod

Staatsoper Berlin

Ein Perückenmacher in Ariadne auf Naxos by Strauss

Staatsoper Berlin

Commissioner in Madama Butterfly by Puccini

Staatsoper Berlin

Sacristan in Tosca by Puccini

Staatsoper Berlin

Sorceress in Dido and Aeneas by Purcell

Staatsoper Berlin

Hohepriester des Baal in Nabucco by Verdi

Staatsoper Berlin

Fiorillo in Il barbiere di Siviglia by Rossini

Staatsoper Berlin

Zwei Strelitzen in Khovanshchina by Mussorgsky

Staatsoper Berlin

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