In masks and costumes, the characters in Verdi’s opera try to conceal their identities or to construct alternative ones. The powerholder Riccardo does so in order to avoid those plotting against him, his friend Renato to escape unrecognized, Renato’s wife Amelia to hide her love for Riccardo from her husband, the guests at the masked ball to enjoy playing with beautiful appearances.

Un ballo in maschera

Bebelplatz

Madrid in turmoil. The barber Lamparilla has no interest in politics. But he is in love and becomes embroiled in an intrigue that reaches all the way to the Spanish royal family. A cheerful game of cat and mouse with the authorities begins, fueled by irresistible Spanish dance rhythms and music reminiscent of Rossini and Verdi. In this classic 19th-century zarzuela, which is yet to be discovered in German-speaking countries, social and political tensions are vented through folklore and humor. Christof Loy devotes himself to the best-known work of this genre and brings it to the stage with a Spanish cast and in the original language.

El barberillo de Lavapiés

Theater Basel

plendor and misery lie close together in the life of the courtesan Violetta Valéry. Celebrated as an enigmatic beauty at lavish Parisian parties, she is forced to abandon her great love for Alfredo due to bourgeois conventions. With this opera about a "whore," as Giuseppe Verdi himself called her, he shocked the audiences of his time. His sharp critique is directed against the hypocritical practices of society, while he imbues Violetta herself, on her path of suffering, with the aura of a saint. With keen psychological insight, director Christof Loy draws inspiration from the aesthetics of Verdi's era. Under the direction of Joana Mallwitz, the young Spanish soprano Marina Monzó makes her debut in the title role.

Javier Pérez

Events

Upcoming events

Dec 20, 2026 - Jan 23, 2027

La traviata · Opernhaus Zürich

Past events

Mar 29 - Apr 6, 2026

Un ballo in maschera · Staatsoper Berlin

Sep 24, 2025

El barberillo de Lavapiés · Theater Basel

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