Name: The Last Days of Mankind
Start: 2025-07-09T18:00:00
Location: Staatenhaus Köln

Dive into the rich tapestry of performances set to grace the stage at Oper Köln in 2025, where timeless classics and innovative narratives offer a captivating journey through the intricacies of human nature and cultural discourse. From the vibrant streets of 1920s Cologne in 'De Kölsche Fledermaus' to the philosophical depths of 'Simone's Passion', each production promises not only a display of unparalleled artistry but a dialogue across time and space. Join us as we explore the creativity, emotion, and imagination that define these remarkable productions.

A Spectacle of Theatrical Elegance: Oper Köln’s 2025 Line-up

Oper Köln's 2025 season promises a captivating blend of drama, humor, and historical intrigue with performances spanning from the comedic 'De Kölsche Fledermaus' to the haunting 'The Last Days of Mankind.' Each event offers a unique perspective, brought to life by talented performers and innovative productions. Whether you're drawn to the timeless allure of 'Don Giovanni' or the modern exploration of identity in 'Superhero Normalos,' this season has something for every opera enthusiast.

A Journey Through Oper Köln's 2025 Season: From Carnival Comedy to Historical Drama

Oper Köln's 2025 calendar promises a thrilling lineup of performances that explore timeless themes through fresh perspectives. Spanning from legendary tales of passion and intrigue to contemporary narratives that resonate with today's audiences, the season features a diverse range of operas, from the classic 'Don Giovanni' and 'Carmen' to the innovative 'Superhero Normalos'. With a roster of talented performers and visionary directors, each event is set to captivate audiences at the Staatenhaus Köln in Germering, Germany.

Oper Köln's 2025 Season: A Diverse Ensemble of Stories and Sounds

Oper Köln is set to captivate audiences with a diverse lineup of performances this spring and summer. From timeless operatic tales like 'Don Giovanni' and 'Carmen' to innovative productions such as 'Superhero Normalos' and 'Simone's Passion', the program promises a rich tapestry of cultural and artistic experiences. With a blend of classic and contemporary pieces, Oper Köln offers a stage for exploring themes of identity, power, and societal norms, while showcasing remarkable talent from around the globe.

Oper Köln's Spring and Summer Theater Extravaganza: A Journey Through Music and Drama

Oper Köln takes audiences on a captivating journey through historical and dramatic narratives with its latest lineup. From gender role reversals in 'Eine Frau von Format,' to philosophical explorations in 'Simone's Passion,' a critique of war in 'The Last Days of Mankind,' and ancient power struggles in 'Julius Caesar in Egypt,' these performances offer a rich blend of intrigue, philosophy, and historical insights. Set against the backdrop of the Staatenhaus Köln, these operas promise a unique theatrical experience for all attendees.

Oper Köln's Complex Tapestry: A Celebration of Drama and History

In a tapestry of emotions and stories, Oper Köln brings forth a vibrant array of productions that delve into the profound depths of human experience. From community-driven initiatives like 'Superhero Normalos' to the philosophical musings in 'Simone's Passion', each event promises to captivate and resonate with audiences of all ages. With a rich blend of storytelling, music, and culture, these performances invite attendees to explore themes of identity, power, love, and the human condition.

Exploring Humanity Through Opera: A Journey at Oper Köln

Olivia Vermeulen

Tamara Bounazou

Anne  Sofie Von Otter

KS Miljenko Turk

John Heuzenroeder

Dmitry Ivanchey

Sebastian Rudolph

Emily Hindrichs

Katrin Nottrodt

Rainer Casper

Tina Kloempken

Oper Köln

"E LEVVE FÖR KÖLLE," the divertissement for Konrad Adenauer's 150th birthday, is a matter close to the heart of the Cäcilia Wolkenburg stage ensemble of the Cologne Men's Choir. After all, the celebrant was an honorary member of the association and regularly sang his birthday hymns by "his KMGV." His son, Dr. Max Adenauer, served as KMGV president for 13 years; his grandson, Konrad Adenauer, is a member of the board of trustees. The choir will kick off the Adenauer Year 2026 with the musical accompaniment for the memorial service on January 4th in Cologne Cathedral, before the divertissement "E LEVVE FÖR KÖLLE" premieres on January 18th, 2026.

E Levve för Kölle (A Life for Cologne)

Cologne Opera

Dream Team

Today marks a joyous day at the castle. Finally, the wedding of Figaro and Susanna is set to take place, both of whom are in the service of Count Almaviva and are being supported by him. Everything seems perfect - and is, of course, only half the truth. In fact, the Count is after Susanna and tries to play his employees off against each other wherever possible. At the same time, he believes he must keep an eye on his lonely wife, as well as his pubescent nephew Cherubino, who continuously puts him in compromising situations. The longer the crazy day lasts, the less the Count seems to be master in his own house. Only when everyone unites against him are the rules of the game changed. But until that moment arrives, until Figaro and Susanna are finally wed, until the Count and Countess are reconciled, until a genuine plea for forgiveness for wrongful actions is spoken, the most beautiful and profound human comedy in opera unfolds: Mozart’s LE NOZZE DI FIGARO. Here, reason, intrigue, and emotional desire are perfectly balanced when it comes to bringing order to the emotional chaos that has always connected people. For his first Mozart libretto, the librettist Lorenzo da Ponte took on a brand-new and quite delicate drama in 1786, Beaumarchais' French comedy "La folle journée ou Le mariage de Figaro," a critical reflection of the conditions in the Ancien Régime. Mozart embraced the revolutionary idea, after all, he had just settled in Vienna as a free artist, and had a clear vision of how he wanted to live as a citizen in a still feudal world. Far more important, however, are the love and respect that his music shows to every single character on stage, as Mozart ensures that each and every one - whether young or old, privileged or less privileged - receives their due. Mozart's masterful ensemble piece conducted by General Music Director Andrés Orozco-Estrada. Katharina Thoma, already known in Cologne for DIE FRAU OHNE SCHATTEN, directs this musical comedy that never goes out of style

Le Nozze di Figaro

This event format invites opera novices, professionals, and anyone interested to try their hand at acting based on Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's "Le Marriage of Figaro" and to find a playful, aesthetic approach to the plot, the music, the characters, and their relationships. Music theater educators from the Cologne Opera will lead the workshop with light steps and plenty of joy. Together, they will create a space for improvisation, stage acting, discussion, and reflection. Immediately following, those interested can join a 30-minute guided tour of the Central Library. A group performance in the evening rounds out the project and is included in the ticket price.

Searching for Opera Traces: The Marriage of Figaro

Interim Central Library on Hohe Straße

This event format invites opera novices, professionals, and anyone interested to try their hand at acting based on Giacomo Puccini's "Turandot" and find a playful, aesthetic approach to the plot, the music, the characters, and their relationships. Music theater educators from the Cologne Opera will lead the workshop with light steps and plenty of joy. Together, they will create a space for improvisation, stage acting, discussion, and reflection. Immediately following, those interested can join a 30-minute guided tour of the Central Library. A group performance in the evening rounds out the project and is included in the ticket price.

Searching for clues Opera: Turandot

Storm and thunder, unbridled passion, incest and divine wrath - all of this is already brewing in the first bars of the orchestral prelude to DIE WALKÜRE and gives a hint of what is to follow. In DIE WALKÜRE, the first day of the stage festival play DER RING DES NIBELUNGEN, Wagner focuses on the generation of Wotan's descendants: On the sibling pair Siegmund and Sieglinde, who, after many years of separation, meet fatefully and fall in love with each other. And on the Valkyries, Brünnhilde and her eight sisters, whose task it is to bring the heroes fallen in battle to Valhalla. When Wotan's wife Fricka learns of the incestuous relationship between Siegmund and Sieglinde, she demands that Wotan put an end to it. So Wotan orders his favourite daughter Brünnhilde to overthrow Siegmund in his battle against his rival Hunding. But Brünnhilde protects Siegmund against Wotan’s command. As punishment, Wotan puts Brünnhilde into a deep sleep and ignites a circle of fire around her, which only one without fear can pass through...

Die Walküre

On some full moon nights, a sinister storm rages through the Wolf's Gorge. For here, in the middle of the forest, free bullets are cast. With the help of these special bullets, every shot hits its mark, even if one cannot actually shoot. And Max urgently needs such free bullets so that he can pass the shooting test and finally be recognized as a member of the community. Otherwise, he will forever be branded as a failure and cannot marry his girlfriend Agathe. To get the free bullets, however, one must enter into a pact with the devil. From Carl Maria von Weber's romantic opera DER FREISCHÜTZ, a music theater is created for people with and without hearing impairment. For the first time, this co-production of the Cologne Opera and the COMEDIA Theater Taube Actors together with singers on stage sets out to explore the question of how music theater can be made more accessible for people with hearing disabilities. Means of accessibility thereby become an aesthetic component of the total work of art: German Sign Language is used equally alongside singing, spoken language and orchestral music. Music and sounds are visualized, and the sense of smell is also engaged. In this way, the story of the Freischütz is staged in such a form that the opera can be experienced with all senses and accessibility for all to this art form is created.

Free Bullets - The Marksman in five dimensions

Comedia Theater

Cultural Office Dance 2025

Three men vie for the love of Elvira: her lover Ernani, Don Carlo, the King of Spain, and Silva, Elvira's wealthy guardian to whom she is betrothed. When Carlo is to be elected as Emperor in Aachen, Silva and Ernani are also among the conspirators. However, the assassination attempt fails, Carlo is elected Emperor Charles V, and wants to punish the conspirators. At Elvira's request, however, he pardons both and ultimately accepts the love between her and Ernani. But the happy ending does not last long, as Silva seeks revenge on Ernani... With ERNANI, Verdi created a gripping drama of power, love, and jealousy based on Victor Hugo's model, using a historical event as the occasion: the coronation of Charles V as Emperor in Aachen Cathedral in 1520. For Verdi, the shocking impact of the plot took precedence over its dramaturgical credibility. The world premiere of ERNANI on 9 March 1844 at the Teatro La Fenice in Venice was an immediate triumph for Verdi. After the successes of NABUCCO and I LOMBARDI, this was to be Verdi's definitive breakthrough as a composer. The work quickly spread across Italian stages and was soon performed in London, Paris and Berlin. In the 19th century, ERNANI was one of the most frequently performed operas by Giuseppe Verdi. While the work is still largely bound to convention in its formal structure, the music possesses a previously unheard dramatic force - with choruses that already foreshadow IL TROVATORE, with finely crafted ensembles, with arias full of exceptional cantabile quality, and with gripping, dramatic finales. The conspirators’ chorus from Act III, incidentally, became - even more than “Va pensiero” - the leitmotif of the Italian “Risorgimento”, the national unification movement of Italy. This early work of Verdi, rarely performed today, is now experiencing a concert performance in Cologne under the baton of Giuliano Carella.

Ernani

The opera begins like a mysterious fairy tale. A woman mourns her child, another consoles: "Find a happy person in this world and cut a button off his sleeve." Do it before night, and your child will live. A happy person. You have time until night. Finding a happy person seems easy. However, one disappointing encounter follows another. Happiness is like a mask that quickly falls when you look more closely. Then the path leads to the threshold of a wondrous and charming garden. PICTURE A DAY LIKE THIS is the new work by composer George Benjamin (*1960) and playwright Martin Crimp (*1956), who, since the triumphant premiere of WRITTEN ON SKIN, are considered among the most important authors of contemporary opera internationally. After two large-scale works, Benjamin and Crimp return to chamber opera with their fourth joint work. PICTURE A DAY LIKE THIS develops a story as touching as it is surprising about human nature. This creates a fine mosaic of music and narration. The production of the world premiere at the 2023 Festival Aix-en-Provence by Daniel Jeanneteau and Marie-Christine Soma alternates between realism and dreamlike fantasy and has since captivated audiences in France and England. Now the co-production with the Cologne Opera can be experienced as a German premiere at the Staatenhaus. "PICTURE A DAY LIKE THIS addresses the most existential questions in just one hour." […] George Benjamin's music is on point in every beat, with every note, and from the tightly held ensemble, he conjures a richness of colour that is astonishing. [...] To this end, Daniel Jeanneteau and Marie-Christine Soma create a subtly crafted Gesamtkunstwerk with enchanting lighting direction as well as high scenic density and elegance." (BR-Klassik)

Picture a Day like this

Maria is new to the big city. She brings with her boundless curiosity, her confidence, and her big heart for everyone she meets. She's practically perfect. Her compassion has the potential to save humanity. But as she increasingly tries to take her life into her own hands, she is confronted with a disastrous truth that calls her entire reality into question...

Maria Everywhere

Radfahren in der Grundschule

The Chinese princess Turandot is obliged to marry only the man who solves her three riddles - a vow that has already cost countless princes their lives. Anyone who fails will be executed that very night. However, when Calaf, a Tartar Prince, sees Turandot, he cannot resist her enigmatic beauty. He solves the tasks, but the princess refuses the marriage. Calaf turns the game round: In order to avoid the marriage, Turandot must discover his name before dawn - a task that pushes everyone to their limits. The aria "Nessun dorma" marks the opera's dramatic climax. But after the naming of the name, "Love", Puccini's last work ends with the note "e poi "Tristano" - "and then Tristan". The opulent production by Lydia Steier ("Director of the Year" 2024) makes this work into an opera experience full of suspense, passion, and spectacle. Felix Bender assumes the Musical Direction once again.

Turandot

An heir to the throne is murdered. Shortly afterwards, the world is in flames, the “last days of mankind” have begun. Over 100 years ago, the Austrian writer Karl Kraus documented the developments of the First World War and transformed them into a megalomaniac drama for a “Martian theatre”: “Theatre-goers of this world will not be able to withstand it”, he prophesied. How the world can suddenly slide into war is something Karl Kraus tries to capture in the 220 scenes of his monumental tragedy, along with the interaction of propaganda, media, religion, education and corporate greed that fuels the global conflagration. Street conversations, newspaper reports, advertising posters, slogans and discussions are unleashed by Kraus as satirical bullets.

The Last Days of Mankind

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